tonystewart3 – Short Fat Stubby Finger Stories

SHORT FAT STUBBY FINGER STORIES PRESENTS:  THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

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EPISODE 81

Having confirmed with Joseph it was time to spin his tale of woe and error, Harvey opened the door to the police station, gingerly poking his head around the door to make doubly sure that the suspects weren’t anywhere in view, and walked up to the reception counter.

  Young Constable Ben Jarvis, the junior member of the Trenthamville Police Force, looked up in surprise at Harvey’s arrival.  He recognized Harvey instantly, and smiled as he walked over to him.

  “Hello, Harvey,” Ben smiled in appreciation of seeing who the visitor was, but his voice was abnormally serious in tone, and low in volume. “I have to speak softly.  The chief inspector is interviewing some out of towners.  He wants everything out here to be nice and quiet.  It’s good to see you again, Harvey. What can I do for you?”

  “Hello, Ben.”  Harvey’s voice was also reduced to no more than a whisper which pleased the young policeman no end, considering the circumstances; he had no idea that Hervey’s need to keep his voice down was more to do with self-preservation than his supervisor’s temperament, “I need to speak to the chief inspector immediately.”

  “Oh, I am sorry, Harvey.  I can’t disturb him.  He was very clear about that.”

  “I am afraid that you will have to, Ben.  This is to do with what the chief inspector is doing right this very moment.  The chief inspector is talking to the wrong men.”

  “Oh!  How do you know that?” The young constable asked suspiciously.

  “Because I was the one that told him it was them that had started the fire at the farm, and had possibly killed one of the archaeologists that were staying at the farm.  I really thought it was them when I reported them to the chief inspector.  However, at the hote,l it was arranged for me to hide in the room behind the counter where William was on duty, while your three fellow policemen went off to see the suspects in their room.  I was supposed to be hiding out of sight so I could watch them pass a window with the suspects, and let the chief inspector know if I realised I had made a mistake … which I had.  But before I had a chance to do the right thing … Ben, do you see this blood on my head?”  Harvey asked as he swung his body around several degrees so that one side of his face and neck was predominantly, dramatically, exposed to the young constable’s wide-eyed, shell-shocked, eyes.

  “Yes … oh my god, have you been set upon?  Oh, my god.”  The young constable somehow managed to restrain his whispered voice from suddenly rising to a much higher level, despite suddenly feeling nauseous at the sight of the blood that was still slowly trickling down Harvey’s face and soaking into the collar of his jacket.  But he couldn’t restrain his mouth from the barrage of questions that flew out of it.

  “Do you want me to ring a doctor, or an ambulance?  Would you like to report a mugging … or an attempted murder?”  He asked in a rambling, incomprehensible, narrative.
  “No, Ben … I am alright now.  Please … just calm down, or I’ll find myself having to call an ambulance for you.”  Harvey replied, speaking slowly and retaining the soft whispering volume as he spoke in order to keep the flustered policeman calm. “I only showed you the result of a fall I had in the room where I was hiding so you would understand why I didn’t come out straight away when I realised that I had been wrong.  I was heading for the door when I slipped or tripped on something.  It all happened so fast I really don’t know what happened, but it would appear that I hit my head on something and was unconscious for a few moments.
  When I came to, there was a small chairside table lying on its side, but whether it was what I hit my head on, or what I tripped over … I have no idea.  At any rate, I came straight here once my vision cleared enough to make the trip, so you can see it is important that I speak to Chief inspector O’Reilly as soon as possible before things go wrong in there.  Will you do that, Ben?  Will you go and tell him that I need to see him?
  “Oh my!  He won’t be too pleased about all of this. But, yes, I had better tell him you are here straight away.  I can’t let him embarrass himself.”

  “No, Ben, don’t tell that I am out here, just tell him that there is someone out here to see him and it is important; extremely important, that he come out to the counter.  Don’t tell him that it’s me, for God’s sake, or what I just told you.  Do you have that?  Just tell him that there is someone outside to see him, and that it’s important he comes out.  Do not tell him it is me. Do not repeat what I have just told you.  Do you understand?”  
  The young policeman shook his head in acknowledgement, not daring for a moment to say that he didn’t, and took off like a startled rabbit.  He hated it when he had to tell the chief inspector some bad news lately, and this sounded incredibly bad.  Pressure was not something that the young constable felt comfortable with, and he knew that the past few weeks, with missing villagers, and a comatose professor, had placed a huge strain on the chief inspector … and it had begun to drain him.  And the young constable knew that he, himself, had problems with pressure.  When he became perplexed, he found himself incapable of retaining the simplest of instructions.  He immediately began to ask himself what it was that he had to remember to say, and what not to say, as he made his way to the small office a mere fifteen paces away from the counter.
  The tension that Constable Jarvis fast shredding nerves now felt themselves under had become so unbearable that he could feel a migraine thundering inside his head as he knocked gently on the door.

********

 The look of annoyance on Chief inspector O’Reilly’s face at the intrusion would have been the final store for the dangerously traumatised young man who, no doubt, would have passed out had he seen it.  However, the look passed as quickly as it had appeared, and by the time the chief inspector had risen from his chair in order to open the door it had subsided.

  However, the instant he placed his hand on the door handle a second wave of anger raged its way across his face; his response to it was to emulate the thoughts into physical action.  His face again flushed, he swung open the door so violently, and moved toward the source of his annoyance so quickly and threateningly, he barely had time to stop from morphing with the young constable, and accidently ended up in a threatening nose-to-nose confrontation with him.  And to add to the electricity of the moment, a flash of light lit up the entire station so brightly the young constable was forced to momentarily close his eyes; simultaneously, a violent burst of thunder roared through the front door into the station so loudly the entire building seemed to rock on its foundations.

  Then almost instantly after the previous threat to their safety, another strike of lightning thumped down, seemingly in the street outside, in that very same second when the sweat laced face of Constable Jervis, and the pumping veins on Chief inspector O’Reilly’s nose, were momentarily but a millimetre apart.  When the building lit up brighter than would have been seen had the lightning struck around their all but melded bodies.  When the sound of thunder was so loud it threatened to shake the skin off their bones, when the young constable was in such a state, and so off-edge with own his sanity and the unreality of everything that was taking place around him.  When his eyes opened, and he saw the dark, scowling face of the chief inspector, he physically jumped backwards into what he considered to be the peace and safety of a black hole.  And if it hadn’t been for the quick thinking of his superior who reached out and grabbed him and pulled him back in time, the constable would have been more than capable of collapsing into a psychotic breakdown.  As it was, he was still rocking back and forth on his feet to the point that both Harvey and the chief inspector thought he would be floorboard bound again at any tick of the clock.

  “What is it, Constable?”  The chief inspector snapped in a voice louder than perhaps was necessary considering the original reason for his anger, “I left orders not to be disturbed.  This had better be extremely important.”

  And it was then that the chief inspector suddenly realised the irony of the situation that he had placed the young constable and himself in, and quickly turned around and closed the door to the office behind him before steering the constable as far away from earshot to those inside the room as he could.  However, he had been so busy being cautious with the young constable, he had failed to realise he was now standing in the clear view of a bemused Harvey.

  “Now, Constable Jarvis, clearly and precisely, thank you.”  But the stern, authoritative, voice of his superior failed to impress the mind of the young constable – in fact it made no impression on him whatsoever; in fact, it made things worse.

  The young man began his narrative in a poorer state-of-mind than he had been in only moments earlier; his voice now so shaky, so thick, it perfectly matched his constantly vibrating body as he spoke. “Ther-ther-the-there is a gent-gent-gentleman here who, who, who says that these are not the ri-ri-ri-ght pe-pe-pe-people, and those that are g-g-g-guilty have just left-ft-ft-ft town.”
  “Constable Jarvis, for god’s sake … calm down.”  The chief inspector pleaded, “It’s like listening to a woodpecker on steroids.  And you are shaking like a Christmas jelly.  Stop it, man … it’s downright annoying.” Chief inspector O’Reilly’s voice was loud, and terse.  He disliked interruptions in the first instance; interruptions that reeked of problems were even less welcome, and trying to understand the young man only added to his current demeanour.  And it was at this point that Chief inspector O’Reilly realised he didn’t like the way he himself was reacting to the situation, but he had no idea how to handle it.  It was something that he had never come up against in is entire career.  ‘Surely he’s not going insane.  He’s acting so strange’, The C hief inspector wondered … and then, like a thunderbolt, it hit him.  “My god. I think he is frightened of me because he had to break orders.  Well, he should know that I wouldn’t get upset over an interruption to an interview … why I …’  And it was at this point that the chief inspector recalled his reaction to the knock and felt a tad apologetic.

  “Ben, if I have upset you with my reaction, I am very sorry.  I never meant to offend you.  I think I have been overtaxing my brain in order to do justice to the interview.  I also have a feeling that I do get a bit uptight at times lately and forget that my position can so easily put us both in a one-way communicative situation where you never feel your right to speak your mind is justified.  I am sorry if I have been a bit of a bastard lately, it’s just that I am feeling slightly overwhelmed, and perhaps not capable of dealing with the things that are happening in the village at the moment.  They go well above my experience; murders, comatose victims, strange happenings like fires that can’t be extinguished, stories of witches and strangers everywhere in the village – it all goes beyond the pale.  I will do my best to relax a lot more than I am capable of at the moment, and I will certainly deal you a better hand in our relationship starting right now.  So, in your own time, Ben, relate to me the gist of your message.

  Somehow, the young policeman managed to slowly take in what the chief inspector had been saying to him.  He smiled, not the smile of humour, but a smile of understanding and compassion.  His body came to a slow halt and he took a deep breath of relief.  For the first time he felt there really was a place and acceptance for him; Constable Jervis felt worthy to be one of the members of the police station he was so proud to work in. 
  “There’s someone outside who says that you are interviewing the wrong people.  He says that he accidentally misinformed you.  I really think you should talk to him, sir.  He is right there … in front of the desk.”
  “He’s what?”  Chief inspector O’Reilly asked as he threw his head in the direction that the young constable was pointing, and he got the shock of his life to see Harvey grinning at him.
  For a moment the chief inspector was at a loss to know what to say or do, offput by the young constable’s input to the occasion, and embarrassed to have lost his composure in front of Harvey.  But within less than a second, he remembered the importance of the moment, and slowly began to comprehend the words the young constable tried to emit.
  He looked hard at Harvey.  “You made a mistake, Harvey.  Is that what young Jarvis is trying to tell me?”  Chief inspector O’Reilly asked, his despair clear in the anger he revealed as he spoke.

  Harvey had expected the chief inspector’s reply and resentment and was ready for it.  “Have a look at my head, Chief Inspector.”  Harvey said in a low, clearly audible voice as he repeated his physical statement to the young constable,
  “William had left the room where I was waiting to watch you all pass the window.  When the six of you did finally pass the window, I was suddenly uncertain if it was them, and by the time you disappeared out of my sight, I was totally certain that it wasn’t them.  It had been just one of the men that I concentrated on; the one I thought I had seen at the farm, but now, in my mind, he was a look alike, but not the one I had seen at the farm.  I am certain now, as I was back at the hotel, that it was not the man you brought to the station.  I moved straight away to catch up with you, but I tripped or slipped on something and banged my head.  I only came to a few moments ago and came straight here.” 

  “Oh, I am sorry, Harvey … I had no idea.  Well, damn, I feel so embarrassed.  And, unfortunately, it looks like the city boys will be required after all, but you did the right thing, thank you for coming in as quickly as you did, Harvey.”

  Harvey was in the process of advising the chief inspector of his immediate need to check in with a doctor, and was about to quickly retreat from the station, when the sound of the office door opening could be heard, and as both men turned in the direction of the room, Professor Robinson and the unknown man walked out and placed themselves beside Chief inspector O’Reilly and Constable Jarvis, as did the two police officers who had followed them out.  Sharkie, however, walked past the counter and stood but inches from Harvey, then turned his head in the direction of Chief Inspector O’Reilly before he spoke.
  “We couldn’t help but overhear your conversation, Chief Inspector, so I gather that you no longer have a need of us?”  Sharkie asked in what Harvey took to be a thick Russian accent, or at least something in the vicinity.      

  “No, it appears not.  Please accept my sincerest apologies, Gentlemen.  Yes, you may go.  Thank you for your co-operation.”

  But Sharkie stood his ground. “Is this the man who mistakenly identified us?”  He asked as he turned his gaze to make eye contact with Harvey; cold, resentful, contrary, eyes that felt to Harvey, though they looked cold, they felt as if they were burning their way deep into his mind, body and soul.
  Not realising the danger that he was putting Harvey in, Chief Inspector O’Reilly agreed that he was.

  “Never mind, my English friend, we all make mistakes.”  Sharkie said with a smile as he reached out and placed one arm around Harvey, pulling him in tight, giving him an apparently friendly squeeze, then patting him on the back as he spoke. At least you have corrected yours, as we will all correct ours.”

Harvey never felt the stone drop into his coat pocket as Sharkie retracted his arm and turned to his two compatriots.   

  “Come.  It is time for us to go.  Goodbye, gentlemen.  I doubt that we will see any of you again … ever.”

  The three men, no longer suspects, walked out of the door, vanishing into the ever-darkening shadows as night and the storm continued to cover the village. And as they walked, with a frightening intensity another flash of light lit up the village, and the accompanying thunderclap again roared once again through the open police station.

SHORT FAT STUBBY FINGER STORIES PRESENTS:  THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

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EPISODE: 80

Ten minutes later, unseen by Harvey as he scanned the inside of the ground floor through the glass window at the side of the police station entrance, Chief inspector O’Reilly had just begun to question the three men that Harvey was trying to avoid.   

  A wooden wall, roughly six feet back from where the reception desk stood, separated the reception area from the back half of the building, hiding everything on the far side of the room from prying eyes, other than what could be seen through the narrow opening.  There was, however, on the far side of the wall directly to the right, a small, currently over-crowded, office where Chief inspector O’Reilly was about to interrogate his suspects; a designated work area normally occupied by Constable Hobson.  However, because of the confined space of the station, he had been forced to have all three suspects situated in the same room, along with the other two senior members of the station.   

  Individual interrogation rooms were a big city luxury as far as he was concerned.  It was something that had never occurred to him, to have several interrogation rooms when he had first arrived in the village and helped set up the new station, mainly because he could not visualise himself interviewing cold blooded murder suspects or bank robbers in this country paradise; it had not suited the image he had created of Trenthamville for himself.  He doubted that he would even have to process a speeding fine; far less a murder inquiry during his term of duty.  Chief inspector O’Reilly was aware of the political system that had been behind the increase of staff, and he was more than happy with the offer of a posting to the village.  Chief inspector O’Reilly was a good man, and had served many years with the force in a variety of areas with far more prestige, but now, as recruitment beckoned on the horizon, this had seemed a gift of a lifetime that had been offered to him.  He had even arranged to purchase his own house in the village, which, ironically, was the same house that had been rented out for him in the first place by the relevant police department.  The committee that had organised the creation of the larger police presence in the village, who were so pleased by the reports they had received from certain new villagers about how safe they now felt in the village, managed to have the contract to rent the house amended to create an agreement with its new owner, the chief nspector, which meant that payments would now be made to the rental agency on his behalf and the chief inspector would have all but guaranteed this house had been paid out by the time he retired.  Nobody involved in the matter saw anything illegal in this arrangement; the chief inspector was entitled to accommodation at the expense of the public purse, they had agreed, and just because he had decided to purchase it, it shouldn’t cost him his entitlements, they had decided, so everybody was happy … especially Chief Inspector O’Reilly. 

  And when the chief inspector had been handed the keys to the ancient, heritage-listed, three-story building that was to continue a long, long line of tradition of a law enforcement headquarters in one form, or another, he was spellbound.  The building was majestic in his eyes; it was a grand old relic of the past.  As chief inspector he was the first appointee to the position of ‘Superintendent of the Trenthamville Police Station’ in the history of the village.  Just prior to that position being created, it had been a single constable, who also did shared-duties at the post office, who bore the sole responsibility of representing the law in the village; though it had only been a token gesture by the government at a time when they needed rural votes to retain power, but it had never been closed down following various changes of governments over the following years. The last such role had been assigned to Constable Hobson who had been in service in Trenthamville for twenty years, with barely a fine to be handed out, nor more than a single page annual report to be processed each year.  Life had been good for the young constable, but lack of crime, lack of exercise, and lack of restraint, especially along with the free meals, cakes and snacks provided by the local establishments, had been his undoing. The addition of extra staff came as a bit of belated relief as he now had someone to share his days and evenings with now that the young constable had arrived at the station and shared the house he occupied.  But possibly too late for his current physical problem.

  The extension to the law enforcement, however, had not been in response to increased crime in the village, as it was to the increase in city dwellers who had semi-retired and purchased residences in the village.  To a man, and a woman, all newcomers were continually upgrading their property for when they were fully retired, and had all petitioned the authorities to upgrade the law in the area so they could constantly check on their properties when the owners were forced to remain in London on some weekends.  And as two of these potential full-time villagers were high-ranking police officers, while others included a high court judge and several city lawyers, the recommendation was quickly approved and Chief Inspector O’Reilly was the man appointed, along with the young constable and the sergeant, and long serving Constable Hobson was retained for the sake of all concerned.  A transfer to any other station would, most likely, have eventually resulted in a physical test for the rather obese policeman, which may not have served his future well.  But Constable Hobson was well liked and thought of in the village, and certain senior officers had a soft spot for the only station in the service to have never had a blemished record, and for the man responsible for that record.  So, as a result, it was decided that Constable Hobson could see out his remaining years in Trenthamville, if he so wished … and it was his wish. 

********

The building that housed the police station, however, was a different kettle of fish.  A gothic styled building, it had served many causes during the past centuries, including housing portions of the war ministry in both the first and second world wars, and had been used as a court of justice and even a temporary jail at one stage during certain infamous moments of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and much, much, more over time.  However, no records seem to have been retained outlining the original reasons for its design when it was built, but it seemed to have been for a particular reason with its huge glass dome allowing the sunlight to penetrate down the floors below from almost the rising of the morning sun, to no less than fifteen minutes before sunset.  And on a clear night, depending on the phase, the passing moon would allow up to an hour plus of its brilliance to shine down into the building.

********

 At its base, the ground floor covered the width and breadth of the building,from wall to wall, from side to side, though the majority of the space was wasted in the front half of the building.  Here, the majority of the available space had been used on the base of the huge spiral staircase that snaked its way up to the third level, stopping and restarting on the second floor which now housed Chief inspector O‘Reilly’s office.

  The remainder of level two and all of level three were now packed solid with remnants from various historical events that had involved the building itself.  Every square inch of level three was occupied by either the narrow walkways that controlled the movement of the punters who visited on open days, or one of hundreds of artifacts on display.  Suits of armour, battle swords, cannons, pictures and paintings, and hundreds of official papers and posters were amongst the many things on offer for the world to see in order to create images in their minds of the glorious past of the village.

********

Both level two and level three were physically different from level one in as much as they each only had half a floor: i.e., equal in width, but only a half in depth, but whereas level three was packed to the hilt with displays, level two had now become more restrictive.  The chief inspector’s office occupied half the depth of level two, and half of the width.  It fitted snug against the back and left-hand walls; a rectangle shaped room that a had a solid timber and glass wall constructed to join it to the permanent walls on the other two sides.  The office had originally been created to display materials and coinage that needed both protection from theft, and exposure to the elements, but had now been loaned to the London Museum on a long-term loan.  The larger objects, including a stuffed lion and tiger, and a huge gorilla, were placed on the floor against the length of both walls directly opposite the chief inspector’s office.  While shelving, slightly higher than the highest of the floor-based display ran along the two walls, housing a continuous array of suitably sized artifacts.

                                                              ********

Positioned around six feet from the chief-inspector’s office, the last pieces of historical importance on the second level looked totally out of place, and most likely were, but probably had nowhere else to go; odd things, like ancient hand guns, short bladed swords and knives, along with a variety of small cannonballs were residing on two seventeenth century tables that were placed side by side, running parallel with the length of the chief inspector’s office.

********

  As a result of its historical involvement in upholding the laws of various parliaments and kingdoms over many years, the top level, and (now), part of the second level of building had been turned into a historical, mini-museum open to the public and visitors on weekends, or during the week by appointment, and every day during heritage week, and, part time, by bookings only, an occasional restaurant; and now a police station to boot.  The restaurant occupies the outside grounds of the building for day trading, but on the three nights of the full moon; the night before, the full moon and the waning moon, during the summer, and  especially during the tourist season, the area around the entrance to the foyer: the area under the span of the gigantic stairwell, was  set up to accommodate no more than twenty four formally invited punters who would share two hours of delightful food and drink, all supplied by the Rat and the Mouse, in the historic village under  the spell of a full, or nearly full moon.  A tradition that had begun following the beginnings of the tourist invasion by the rich and semi-famous following the end of world-war two.
  The village’s newest tenant, the Trenthamville Police Station, sharing the wealth of history of the town’s most illustrious site with The Trenthamville Common Restaurant was a great public relations gesture from both the community and the police, it was decided, and Chief inspector O’Brien could not predict any occasion that would make this union unfeasible.  And nor could he, for he was not to know that one day pure evil would arrive to disturb the tranquillity of this otherwise peaceful village.  Now, as the chief inspector looked around the temporary interview room, at the space occupied by the three suspects, his own two compatriots, one reasonably large table and six chairs, he shook his head in dismay.  And if they were not enough to contend with, there were now dozens of boxes of paperwork, a variety of stationary aids, a computer, printer and monitor, and several dozen boxes of God-only-knows-what was leaning up against the wall.  Chief Inspector O’Reilly began to feel slightly claustrophobic and embarrassed at the sight.  And for just for a moment, he wished he had never agreed to the arrangement the police real estate negotiator made with the council.  ‘Ah, c’est la vie.’ He sighed inwardly.  ‘Oh, for the knowledge of the future in the past, where it could have been so better used.’ And as he had an individual silent moan over what could have been, he began to turn his attention on what might be a long night. 

SHORT FAT STUBBY FINGER STORIES PRESENTS:  THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

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EPISODE 79

NIGHTFALL APPROACHES

Raji arrived at the garage within the three minutes that he had promised; his face ablaze with happiness, the packed duffle bag slung over his shoulder indicating he was ready to hit the road and deliver his prize to the Punjani … then take a long, long holiday.  To Raji’s way of thinking at the moment, he had gone through, and had lost, much, much, more than he was receiving in payment from the Punjani.  He needed a long, long break to clear his mind and his heart.  ‘Perhaps I should visit with my cousin for a while?’  he wondered.  ‘Yes’, he decided in an instant, ‘that is what I will do.  Go back to where it all started.”

  “Ah, Joseph, my friend, I thought you wanted me to break in, but you have made it easier for me.
  “A change of plans, Ravi, however, it was deemed necessary. Time is of the essence.”
  “Of course.  I understand.  The Punjaniti is soon due to arrive.  The statue, it truly is here?  How did you find it?”

  “Harvey found it.  It’s a long story, but we haven’t got the time to discuss it at the moment.  The statue is secure in the back of the van.  Harvey says the tank is full and ready to roll.  I hope you can hot wire it?”
  “Can a chicken lay eggs?”  Raji replied with an even wider grin, “Thank you, Joseph.  Your promises are worthy of your reputation.  It has been a pleasure working with you.  I hope we will meet again in the future.”

   “The pleasure applies both ways, Raji.  But we have no time for formalities.  I need you to be on your way as quickly as possible for my plan to work.  So, if you don’t mind, please get going.  You only have about a minute to get out of here.”
  “Thank you, my friend.”  Raji called out as he dashed off into the semi-darkness and clambered up into the driver’s seat, slamming the door shut behind him … and, within seconds, Joseph and Harvey heard the roar of the engine, the van lumbered by them, and within another one point five of a second, he was out of sight. 

  Joseph rang Martin and upon hearing that everybody had arrived back to the room he turned to face Harvey.

  “Now, Harvey, this is where you go into your routine.  Wait here until I reach the hotel, then allow me ten minutes before you go into the station.  As soon as you tell your story to the chief inspector – get out of there.  Tell him that you have to see the doctor about your accident; say that you think that you may have concussion.  Just get out of there as fast as you can.  I don’t want our friends to see you if we can help it.  Go straight to the conference room and wait for me there.  When I arrive, we will go straight back to see the police.  We may not have a lot of time.

  “Where are you going?”
  “I’ll explain all when I get back.  Give me time to reach the hotel and go into Sharkie’s room, then give me a further five minutes before you go to the police station.  In fact, ring me when you leave.  I don’t want to be caught in the room, or even be seen leaving it.” 

  Joseph took off in a run, and as soon as Harvey saw him enter the hotel, he checked his watch.

SHORT FAT STUBBY FINGER STORIES PRESENTS:DECEMBER UPDATE

Sorry that I am running a bit late with the final couple of episodes, but there was a bit of an adrenaline rush and those 2 or 3 episodes are now currently sitting at 12.  The chapters are at various lengths, and they are still causing me a bit of trouble.  But, all going well, they all will be released before Christmas, which is why I am advising you of my plans now. 

It will take me several days to finish proof reading these, but I hope to have all chapters completed within a week, and I will be issuing all episodes in the one day (whenever they are ready), however they will all be released in single episodes (Some are short, some are long), but they are meant to be read in the one sitting if possible.  So you will have two choices in which to read them.

You can open them upon receiving the e-mail, or you can click on the next chapter from the one you first open, however you will need to wait until the last e-mail is received to do it this way.  (I will advise you when the last e-mail is posted).  It takes me longer to do this as I have to wait until I have posted an episode before I can link it to the previous episode, and then I have to authorise the link.  (We are talking minutes rather than hours here for each episiode, so don’t panic.)

Well, I hope this all goes to plan, but just in case … I wish  you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Regards,

TonyS (tonystewart3@bigpond.com)

      email:: tonystewart3@log

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SHORT FAT STUBBY FINGER STORIES PRESENTS:  The COUNTDOWN BEGINS 5-4-3-2-1

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SHORT FAT STUBBY FINGER STORIES PRESENTS:  The COUNTDOWN BEGINS 5-4-3-2-1

EPISODE 76

Malena and Joseph emerged with the coffees just as Laurie announced that they were in business; Robert had duplicated his findings.  Steaming mugs in their hands, everybody crowded around the computer as Laurie turned around to face them.
  “From the looks of it, the professor wasn’t very proficient with the computer, but he was astute enough to buy one with more than enough storage space, which is just as well as Robert had some rather large downloads to share with the professor’s own investigations into the Punjaniti.  He must have had a gazillion gigs worth of photos and videos of the statue.  Anyway, there was still enough room for Robert’s input.”  Laurie then pressed a button on the laptop, and Robert’s face came onto the screen. 
   “Well, hello, everybody.”  Robert began,  “I have been advised that I will be off on a special job first thing in the morning, so I have recorded this a bit earlier than I had expected to. Joseph, I have done what you asked and I have sent you some information as an attachment so you can print it off at your leisure.  You were right about the connection.  I would be very careful how you move around this Professor Robinson.  He comes across as a pretty dangerous man.  I had time to have a couple of my friends here in intelligence run a few checks on him.  Seems that he has a rather nasty type by the name of Raymond Sharki working for him, and, according to my sources, he has been hanging around your neck of the woods recently.  Be very, very careful of him.
It was Professor Robinson who had bugged the laptop.  He used a pretty intricate system, but it wasn’t too hard for me to crack and trace the links.  I have supplied you with a picture of both Professor Robinson and Raymond Sharki just in case you happen to run into them, but remember what I said; Be very wary of them. Well, I hope that it all helps.  See you, Dad, Joseph, everybody.”
  Robert’s face disappeared from the screen and it was replaced by a display offering a choice of places to go to on the disc.
“Well, at least I know how to download an attachment.” Joseph remarked.  “Do you think the printer still works, Laurie?”  
Laurie looked down at his precious H.P. Five Thousand as it lay quietly on the floor; looked sadly at its bent and twisted frame with the slight hint of a tear in one eye.  “I have printed some beautiful pictures on this machine,  Robert would always send me high definition pictures from wherever his ship travelled to, and I would print them off and frame them, but I don’t think that will happen anymore.  Not for a while at least.  No, I think this old darling is no longer in the land of the living, so as to speak. Would you like to take a look at what Robert sent you?”
Laurie rose from the chair and Joseph quickly slipped into the seat as Malena invited Mary to help her prepare breakfast. Laurie began to clear up the mess created from the destruction of his peripherals, and Martin quickly joined him leaving Joseph to his own devices.  Joseph’s eyes glanced over the computer screen without actually absorbing anything.   He wanted to be able to study every single thing that that Robert had sent in minute detail, and he knew to do it now would be rushing things because of the distractions that were available with so many people in the house; Joseph much preferred the solitude of the hotel.  However, he decided to linger a little bit longer when he realised his eyes were hovering over a file marked Robinson.  Joseph  procrastinated for a second, bit his lip, and pressed the icon.
“Laurie, do you have any idea how I can get hold of a printer?” Joseph called out the minute the image was residing on the laptop screen.
 “I would willingly lend you mine if I had a spare, which unfortunately, I don’t.  However, William should have one or two at the hotel.” Laurie suggested.  “Otherwise you will have to go to Kingstown. That’s about a twenty mile drive, and they won’t be open today because of the holiday.”
“Then I better ring him now.  There is no time to lose.  We will have to get started printing as soon as we can.  If he doesn’t have one he will have to find one.”
Joseph rang William who advised Joseph that it was his lucky day. 
‘Yes, he certainly had a printer’, he had replied, “In fact he had two.  He had just had a brand new laser printer delivered the day before.  Did Joseph require a computer as well?’  He then asked, ‘No, he had his own laptop.  Very well, he would set it up in the conference room, and yes, he had all of the necessary cables, but it would be much better to use the wi-fi the hotel provided..’
Joseph made a vow on the spot to take a crash course on computers, smartphones and peripherals as soon as he got back to London.  These continuous references to an endless list of technical items was beginning to give him a migraine.
  “We will need to go back to the hotel straight after breakfast, I am afraid, Laurie.  Your son seems to have sent me more than I had expected, and I thank him for that, but I think I will need to produce hard copies so we can share the files.  It will be a lot quicker.  I can call Frank and Raji in if we need them.  However, before we leave with the laptop, perhaps you may wish to let Robert know what happened.”
“That is a good idea,  I will do it now, there’s no need to wait.  Robert may not be able to talk to me; he may be busy.  I will just give him the bare details,  I still have my phone., so he can ring me if he deems it necessary.  I just want  him to know that we have no computer, so he shouldn’t attempt to contact me that way.”
  The two men reversed their previous roles and as Laurie slipped into the seat he noticed the file icon for Robinson.  “Is this the name of the man you asked Robert about?”
  “Yes.  Sorry, I had forgotten about him.  Would you mind opening that file before you contact Robert, please,  I would  like to confirm something. 
  Laurie did as he was requested and two photos appeared on the screen side by side.
  “Martin. have a look at this.”  Joseph called out.
  Martin placed the equipment he had collected from the floor on the table before moving the few short steps that placed him facing the laptop as he stood slightly to the right of Laurie.
  “My god.”  Martine exclaimed, “That is the man we saw at the farm when Vittorio was shot.”
“And both of these men were at the restaurant last night.”  Joseph stated, “I think we really do have to take care.”
  Before Joseph could say anymore Malena entered the room and announced breakfast was about to be served.
“Malena, is this the man you saw outside the house?”  Joseph asked.
  Malena walked over behind Laurie and the shocked look on her face told Joseph  the answer.
  “It most certainly was.  The other man was the one in the house.  I’d like  to get my hands on him.”
  “Thought so.  Alright, ladies.  We will just help Laurie clean up out here … and we will be straight in.”  Joseph stated with a very concerned look on his face.

********

Mary and Malena had prepared a meal worthy of their appetites; bacon, eggs, sausages, tomatoes, fried onion, home made hash browns and toasted bread.  Several large jugs of freshly made orange juice took pride of place in the middle of the medium size table, and a large pot of tea surrounded by half a dozen cups and saucers plus some sugar and milk occupied the remaining space.  
“Looks as beautiful as the two ladies that prepared it,” Laurie commented in admiration of the feast that lay before him, and Joseph quickly agreed with him. As a bachelor, the only time that he had a meal of this magnitude was when he took himself out to the occasional buffet breakfast at a restaurant.
   “Thank you, Joseph,” The two girls replied in unison, as they scrambled to sit on either side of him, almost knocking both Laurie and Martin over in their hurry.
Laurie smiled at the girl’s actions and wondered what was going on, but said nothing, while Joseph had no idea that something was even happening. Joseph’s mind was fast moving back to the hotel and the conference room. He so wanted to be reciprocal and responsive to Laurie’s initial kind offer of breakfast, especially now, after the ordeal that Laurie and Malena had just been through … especially when it had had been his own questions that had placed them in danger. But Joseph also knew that time was really running out for them to achieve all that needed doing, and that included getting the statue back … and saving Rosetta and her father from a permanent comatose existence. ‘As soon as breakfast was finished,’ he decided,,’ they would leave.’

********

“So, do you think that Robert has given you all of the information that you require?” Laurie asked.
 “I doubt that anyone in this entire world could give me all of the answers to the questions that I have, Laurie.  There are so many things that still puzzle me.  However, I am, at the moment, only concerned with finding the statue and returning it to Raji so he, in turn, can return it to the Punjaniti. And how I can do that, I hope, is answered in his reply.”
“Isn’t that a bit dangerous?”  Malena asked with concern.  “I mean, aren’t they just as dangerous as the creature itself?”
“We are taking the chance that they don’t want it to materialize on Earth either.  We believe Raji when he says that they need to have the statue in their possession, in order to stop it from entering, and to prevent anybody from trying to use it for personal use.”
  “I am certain that you know what’s right, Joseph.” Malena stated with a soft , sparkling. smile.
“Are you absolutely certain that Raji can be trusted?”  Mary interjected.
“I can’t be absolutely certain of anything,” Joseph replied, “but I am trusting my instincts on this one.”
  “You can’t ask for more than that in our business.”  Martin declared, putting in his two pennies worth.
“And what is your profession, Joseph,” Malena asked, innocently, grabbing the opportunity to find out more about him.
Joseph almost choked on his food.  He was scrambling for the right words to say that would not give anybody cause to question what he said, and that most definitely included Mary and Martin. Now drums began to beat wildly inside his head; once again he could feel the onset of a migraine. After all of this time of playing cat and mouse with Rosetta, Martin and Mary, Joseph had fallen into the complacency trap: becoming so engrossed and engaged in his assumed role of being somebody special he was beginning to believe it was true. That had been a bad mistake, he now realised, and now it was all now coming back to bite him. For the first time since he had met Martin he could feel his entire world crumbling around him. He was stuck; he was trapped, but he had to answer, or that in itself would cast a shadow of suspicion on him, and this was not the time for that to happen. He may have been ‘the great pretender‘; he may have been a fake, but their problem was real, and they really had a chance of rectifying things. However, that would require them all working together; to have complete faith in each other – and that was exactly what was on the line if he offered the wrong words.
Finally Joseph forced a smile on his face, strung together enough words in his mind to offer a half-hearted, albeit shaky joke that he worked for x-files and chased illegal aliens around the world. But Joseph nearly jumped out of his skin when the obnoxiously loud smashing in of the front door completely drowned out his first tentatively spoken words.

********

As Joseph’s over-fraught mind slowly began to comprehend the reason for the attack on his shattered nerves, Laurie got up to answer the knock on the front door.  To everybody’s surprise, it was Inspector O’Reilly that followed him back into the kitchen.     
“Come in, Inspector.”  Laurie gave him a cordial welcome, but there was no doubting that the Inspector hadn’t come on a social visit,  “Have you met my guests?”
“Aye, I have, and under similar circumstances unfortunately, but I am rather pleased to see them again, especially this morning.  Good morning, all.” 
“Sounds rather ominous, Inspector.” A far more relaxed Joseph noted with interest.
“There has been another fire at the Forster’s farmhouse.”
“What, today.” Joseph asked in surprise.
  “No, yesterday, somewhere around midday. Fortunately there was not a lot of damage to the house, however when the fire brigade were checking through the house some bodies were found, and they were rather hard to identify due to the ferocity of the fire at one point.  The really strange thing about the damage done to the bodies is seeing as how the damage had been predominantly in the one area – in the same room where the last fire was, only closer to the corridor and the exit – both bodies gave the impression that they may have been attempting to escape the house. The fire brigade chief thinks that the fire was started with fuel being poured over their bodies to create such horrific damage to them. There was nothing else in the room to burn.
Harvey, the caretaker, had just arrived at the farm when he saw some foreign looking types running from the barn.  He was going to call out to them when he caught a rather obnoxious smell of something burning emitting from the house.  Reeked of a combination of flesh and cloth he said. He forgot about them and rang the fire brigade, and me, then went in to try to put it out.  His efforts were almost in vain because there was no actual fire, but he hosed down the still smouldering embers and that left enough, albeit charred flesh and bone on the cadavers for the fire chief to recognise the deceased’s remains for what they were: human beings.
it was only a short time ago that I suddenly thought that it might have been you three, seeing as how you had been spending some time out there. I rang William at the hotel and he said that you were supposed to be here, but I had to check it out for myself.  I am so glad that you are alright.”
“All things considered, so are we, Inspector O’Reilly. But thank you for thinking of us.” Joseph responded,  “Who do you suppose they were?”
“I really have no idea.” Again the inspector’s mind was turning to the inevitable conclusion that Scotland Yard’s finest would soon be running amok over his peaceful village,  “Mind you,  part of me really doesn’t want to know.  I doubt that it is anyone from the village.  I can only guess that it may be one of those drug gang things.  But why, in heaven’s name, would they bother to come all the way out here to have a bit of rough and tumble?  I don’t think that there is enough sales of their nasty product sold here in the village to warrant a territorial war.  We have only ever discovered one seller in the village, and even then he was a transit sleeping rough in the woods selling his private stock and he was soon moved on.  And there was a schoolboy who was getting his marijuana in London.  Ironically, he was caught smoking it in the barn at the farm. But he got such a fright when we caught him, never mind his father’s reaction when he became aware of his wrongdoings, that I doubt he will consider re-offending in  the foreseeable future, if ever, I really can’t believe this is all happening.  It is way beyond me.” 
“These days I expect anything could happen,” Joseph said in agreement, doing his best to sound convincing,  “It’s a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack.  What happened in the barn?  Do you have any idea who it was that Harvey saw leaving it?”
  “No.  Harvey gave us a description of them so we will keep an eye out, but he said that as far as he remembered he was certain that he heard a car starting up as he ran into the house with the hose.  In fact he thought he heard another noise, albeit a little louder; more like a truck as he began to put out the fire, but he was far too occupied with the fire to be concerned about the strangers. So it seems safe to assume that they had well and truly left the farm by the time I arrived. We are not certain that the two men had anything to do with the fire, and we are not especially heavy on manpower.  We simply don’t have the resources to go house to house to locate them, I am afraid …. if they are still in the village, that is.  Well, seeing that you three are alright I must be going.”
“You wouldn’t care to join us for breakfast, Inspector?  A good breakfast will help you get through a busy day.”  Laurie offered.
“Tempting … very tempting, but no, I am afraid not. I really must get back to the station and fill out some reports and face the inevitable.  I have to get in contact with the bureaucrats in London and request some help out here now.  My guess is that this will be a murder investigation; the second in a couple of days. And, to boot, I have had quite a few men and women complaining that their other half have been gone too long, and haven’t contacted them since they just got up and went walkabout.  So I may as well report a few missing persons while I’m at it.”   He sighed, and with a shrug, he bowed and left the room leaving the small group to resume their meal, albeit with a buzz of excitement surrounding it.

*********

“That was very nice of him to be concerned about us.” Mary remarked.
“Yes, it was,” Joseph agreed.
“Should we have told him about Raji and his friends?”
“I think that the Inspector has enough on his plate at the moment, and besides, would you have liked to try to explain the Punjaniti or the Punjani to him?”
“No, I guess not.”
“Then we didn’t need to tell him.  It would appear that Professor Robinson’s boys have been busy covering their tracks and that only means one thing.”
“And what’s that, old boy?” Martin asked between two massive folds of bacon rashers being temporally installed into his mouth.
“Us, old boy,” Joseph replied in a mocking voice.  “We are next.” 
  “My god … you are right.”  Martin spluttered as he did his best to deny his huge mouthful the opportunity to return to the plate, “We are the only link left alive, other than Laurie, and Malena here.”
“And William ,,, and Raji, and possibly Harvey.”  Joseph reminded Martin, “However, for the moment, Laurie and Malena should be safe, hopefully presumed dead by Sharki and his boys following the attack by the Punjaniti, and maybe …”
“What is it, Joseph?”  Malena enquired with a tone of excitement.
  “Maybe they think that we are all dead.  After all, they may have been aware of our intended visit here for breakfast and expected all of us to be here at the same time as the Punjaniti’s visit. The place has definitely been set up as a break and enter for the police when they are finally called out to the house by suspicious neighbours after hearing the noise of Rangor’s attack on the gnome. Now that gives me an idea.”   Joseph hit the redial button on his phone.   William answered it on the third ring.   “William, Joseph here again.  We think that we may have a problem here, which could put all of us at risk.  You wouldn’t have a Robinson or a Sharki staying there would you?”
“Hold on a minute,” he replied.  “I will go and check the registry.” 
As Joseph waited he could hear William greet somebody and engage in conversation with them, but unfortunately he could not hear the conversation clearly … and the longer William took to return to the phone, the more Joseph became concerned.

********

Nearly three and a half minutes had ticked by on Laurie’s antique wall clock before William’s voice finally crackled back down the line; a lifetime for Joseph’s frustrated mind at the present moment.   “Ah, Joseph, we do have somebody by the name of Sharki staying with us, but not Robinson.  What’s the problem?”
“We believe that Sharki was the one that killed Raji’s crew and Vittorio under instruction from Professor Robinson.  Laurie and Malena were also attacked this morning and Malena recognised him from a photograph I have obtained.  Also, he will probably have the statue hidden somewhere nearby.  Do you have any idea where he is at the moment?”
“No.  The keys, for his room are still on the board.  Wait a minute, I have a customer coming.”
William put the phone down, and Joseph could again only faintly hear him talking in the background.  When he returned, William’s voice was barely audible.  “That was him; Sharkie. He has just returned and gone to his room; Room fifteen  What should I do?”
“About him, nothing; about us, do you have access to a truck, and a driver that you can trust?”
“Harvey would be your best bet.  Do you want his number?’
“No, but you are right, he would be perfect.  Can you please call him, with the greatest discretion,  and arrange for him to come to Laurie’s house and collect  the five of us. Actually, get him to back in as if he is making a delivery.  Our cars are parked in the driveway so he will need to deliver something that he can safely place on the front steps, but we will need to have the driveway blocked off so we can get out of the house and get into the back of the truck unseen by anybody in the street.  We will also need to arrive at the hotel and get out without being seen.  There is the possibility that we are being watched, and it is important that we are not seen; either leaving the house, or arriving back at the hotel.  Is that possible?”
“It certainly is.  I will arrange it immediately.”
“Thank you, William … and, William, please make the phone call in absolute privacy. Do not risk being overheard, or our lives will, most likely, be subject to the gravest of danger.”
Joseph hung up the phone and turned to the others.  “I think that we will play dead for the moment.  Laurie, I want you and Malena to come and stay at the hotel with us for a while.  You escaped death once today; I don’t want to see the same thing happen for real.”
“I’ll pack some clothes straight away,” Malena stated, and headed off to her bedroom.
“I’ll bet you will.” Mary mumbled under her breath.  
“I guess that I had better do the same.” Laurie added.
“I am sorry that I got you and Malena into this mess, Laurie. I never thought that this caper was quite as serious as it is turning out. I thought we had a simple task of determining where the statue was hidden, then return to London. I truly never thought that I would put so many lives in danger. I never thought that I would put anybody’s life in danger.”
“Don’t think that way, Joseph. The world has always been in danger from the Punjaniti. It was always a matter of time before he tried again. Thank god we have you and Arkerious to help save us. Malena and I have faith in you and Arkerious, and the outcome of the battle with the Punjanini. You two won’t let us down.”
Joseph had no idea how to respond to Laurie. His words had not been what he had expected. “Thank you for your confidence, Laurie. I promise that I will do my best.’
“That is all that we can expect, my boy, that is all we can expect.” Laurie gave Joseph a smile and a wink as he departed for his bedroom
Joseph shook his head as he watched Laurie leave the room, then , once Laurie was out of sight, Joseph turned to Mary and Martin and spoke in a low tone. “Once we are back at the hotel, I am going to print off a copy of everything on the computer that Robert sent to us.  Between us we will need to go through everything on the disk in minute detail.  Time is of the essence, but so is knowledge … and my instincts tell me that we are going to need all the knowledge of the situation that we can find.”
“Is Professor Robinson staying there as well?”  Mary asked.
  “Not according to William.  I expect that he is staying at a B’N’B.  I would imagine that any other employees of Professor Robinson are also spread out in accommodation across the village so they don’t stand out, but are never far away when they are required. Now it is imperative that we don’t make any excessive noise, or go too close to a window.  I don’t know if anybody is watching the house, or saw the inspector arrive, but we will just have to hope they either aren’t, or that they think he has returned to the village to get help.  Either way if they come around to the house to check us out, then Harvey’s arrival will be a waste of time … and our lives will be in further danger.  Well, I think a cup of tea would go down well while we are waiting for our corpses to be collected.  Everybody agree?|”
 

********

The night of the Darkness

Episode 76 Part 2

Harvey duly arrived at Laurie’s house twenty minutes later and reversed the truck to a position just in front of William’s Wolseley and the Mini as requested.  Then he got out of the cabin and made his way to the back of the truck and opened the doors to give him access to several bags of rose fertiliser which he eventually took around to the front porch before knocking on the door.  What the crew inside couldn’t see was that Harvey was standing in such a manner that it would block the viewing of whoever it was that answered the door from anybody that may have been watching the house from behind him.  But he still wasn’t going to take the chance.
“Come in, Harvey,” Laurie called out in as loud a voice as he dared as he began to turn the handle in order to open the door for Harvey, only to find the door jammed.
   “I’m holding the door to stop it from opening,”  Harvey whispered cautiously, his voice barely audible inside the room. Keep your voices down and let me make my own way in … and make sure that you can’t be seen from the door when I open it.”
Sensing danger Joseph herded everybody into the kitchen as Harvey waited less than a second before he turned the door handle and let himself in, then quickly closed the door behind him and moved into the kitchen.
  “Martin,  Could you please go back into the other room and keep a check outside,”  Harvey requested the second he entered the kitchen, “but keep out of sight;  I don’t want you to be seen standing if you are supposed to be dead.  At the same time, however, keep a lookout for a black limousine,  I noticed it parked not far from here, though they could not see the house from there; I am absolutely certain of  that.  However, there could be somebody hiding in the forest.
  “Yes, no problem.”  Martin replied as he quickly made his way out of the room.
“So it really was Professor Robinson that called up Rangor.  Well, that surprises me,” Joseph remarked almost disbelievingly when he heard the limousine mentioned, “I thought perhaps the Punjani were somehow involved, or somebody else that may be involved in this whole weird event that we are not yet aware of,  But, Professor Robinson … ?  I really thought he did his own dirty work.  It must only be when it suits him.  They must be uncertain as to our condition.  That means that they possibly saw our stressed out inspector enter the house after Rangor’s visit, but they don’t know for sure what he saw.  That fits in perfectly with our plan. If the limousine is where you say it is, then perhaps they never actually saw the damage that occurred, except, perhaps, for the window. I am starting to think that they did not want to be seen near the house when Rangor arrived, so they may not have witnessed the attack, only heard the noise. In that case I suspect that they did not see me place the rubies in the garden just before Martin arrived, or they did not know what I was doing outside the house. There is every possibility that they are unaware that we located the rubies that had been planted on Laurie and Malena, or even knew to search for them in the first place. This may very well play into our hands when we get back to the hotel. It also means we have to be very careful that we are not seen moving into the back of the truck.”
“Why did the inspector come here?” Harvey asked.
“The second fire at the farm, and the corpses you found,  He was a bit concerned it may have been us.”
“Did you know about them? 
  “They were Raji’s co-workers.  Did you know that there were more bodies in the barn?`”
  “No.  I never had any reason to go there. I was only at the farm to collect the eggs and feed the chooks? How many bodies?”
“There were quite a few of them according to Raji, though they were killed by more conventional weapons. According to Raji it looked like the end of a shootout scene from one of the modern American television N. C .I. S. shows; bodies everywhere. Your inspector seems a nice enough chap.  Perhaps it might be a good idea if you double check the barn and let him know what you found before he submits his report,  It would not make him look too good to his superiors should the bodies be discovered after Scotland Yard arrives.  Especially when they have been dead for several days. They could be a bit ripe by the time Scotland Yard arrives in the village .” 
“Oh, I wasn’t aware.  Well, things might work out to our benefit, and it might explain a few things about the actions Arkerious has had William initiate. Whoever was in the car would have recognised the police car as it passed by the limousine.  If they see the ambulance arriving here at the house they may think that he had sent them. And my being here may just have been coincidental. If you were all dead when I arrived it would be normal to believe that I rang the police and was asked to wait with the bodies until they arrived, and as the inspector had already seen your corpses at the murder scene he could have quite easily arranged for an ambulance to collect you and take you to the morgue.
“And this was all Arkerious’s idea, was it.
Harvey grinned as he replied. “Yes. In fact he wanted to make sure that William got me to tell you that.
“Is that so. Arkerious may know something that I don;t know, but that still sounds a bit of a problem to my way of thinking, Harvey.  There are five of us … how could we all fit into just one ambulance?”
  “Ah, you forget what our local hospital used to be, Joseph: an army hospital,  And what do very old, nay, make that ancient, army hospitals have that other hospitals do not?  American World War two ambulances!  Believe me, you will all ride comfortably in it.  They are specially designed to accommodate four stretchers or eight seated casualties inside each vehicle, and all completely enclosed so nobody can see inside.  Now, if you think about it, if you had been annihilated by the creature, there would not be very much of you to transport, so one or two vehicles would appear to be quite suffice to do so.”
Joseph simply shook his head in profound disbelief at the twists and turns his life was taking this holiday weekend as he wondered why Arkerious couldn’t simply just transfer everybody involved in helping Rangor to another planet, – then use his strange powers to blast Rangor into a trillion pieces and finish this messy situation forever. It seemed a far better solution than they were currently facing 

********

Five minutes after Harvey arrived, a single vintage American military grey ambulance duly made a grand entrance outside Laurie’s house. An event much to the surprise of the neighbours who were so stunned at the sight of the ancient vehicle they remained both speechless and spellbound within the confines of their own homes.  The covered bodies were quickly, but courteously, carried out on stretchers to the vehicle before any of the neighbours could awake from their stupor and ask questions, and the bodies were soon, albeit slowly making their way to the Trenthamville morgue at a respectful speed. And as the small convoy made their way , a black limousine pulled out from the side of the road and flew past them, quickly disappearing in the distance.
Harvey, who was following at a respectful distance behind the ambulance, quickly checked all of his mirrors, and, as soon as he was assured that the small convoy was no longer being observed, picked up speed and beeped his horn.  The pre-arranged signal gave the ambulance drivers their cue to increase speed and five minutes later they reversed into the ambulance ramp which was out of sight from the main road. 

********

The human transfer took less than two minutes – and a further three minutes later the truck reversed into the loading dock at the back of the hotel where William met them, checking for any one coming as the small group made their way through a back door and across the corridor into the conference room. Once they were all in, William locked the door behind him.

********

“Well there is your work bench. I have given you some extra stationery in case you need it, but let me know if i have missed anything.  Give me your laptop and I will connect it for you while you tell me what’s going on?”  William’s passionate curiosity and excitement clearly reflecting in his voice.
Joseph took in the desk where the printer was sitting and noticed for the first time the wide array of things that accompanied it: stacked neatly on the table there lay enough reams of paper to reproduce all thirty two volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, boxes of bulldog clips, paper clips, pens, pencils, erasers, highlighters and a whole lot more.
Greatly impressed by what William had on display Joseph gave him a condensed version of the events that had unfolded at Laurie’s house as William set up the wi-fi connection and within minutes they were all looking at the first image printed off the high-speed printer.
“Who is that?”  William asked excitedly as he looked at the picture of a short fat, roly-poly, man. 
“That is Professor Robinson, our current arch enemy – why do you ask?  Joseph replied,
  “Do you know, I am absolutely certain that he was sitting in the booth in front of us last night.  I am sure that it was him.”
“When?”
  “Just as I left to get Laurie’s phone number for you.  I mean, I thought that I saw someone in the booth, as I walked past, but as I turned back for a second look, there was no one there.  When I resumed my trip to get the phone number I saw someone going out of the door.  I didn’t know who it was at the time, but there is no doubting that shape.  And that face is certainly the face that I thought that I had seen.  I wish that we had had this information last night.”
“You and me both, that lack of knowledge almost got us killed.  I will willingly make a bet that he was listening in on our conversation.” Joseph remarked.  “Never mind, we survived, and we had better get moving before they want a second chance to take us out of the equation.”
  “And I am fairly certain that was the man that I saw running from the barn when Vittorio was shot,” Harvey chimed in.
“Yes, it certainly was.”  Joseph agreed.
Malena, who had been aroused by the excitement of William’s discovery, had moved over to the group and, standing behind Joseph, was resting her chin on the back of his neck in order to get a better view as the second image printed off.          
“And that certainly was the man that that injected me with a needle this morning!” she exclaimed.  “I’d like to give him a kick up the pants.”
“Ah, That is Raymond Sharki,” William stated emphatically. “He is most definitely the man I served at the counter when I was on the phone to you, Joseph.
And he is the one that injected me with the drug that nearly killed me.” Malena fumed.
“He’s been a busy boy, alright,” Joseph commented. “I’ve just had a thought.  Harvey … what would the inspector do, if you told him something.  Something slightly incredulous: something that could easily be dismissed as far-fetched.  Would he believe you?”
“I should imagine that he would trust my word – why?”
“Impeccably?” Would he trust you impeccably?”
“I believe that he would.”
“I have something that I need you to do.  But not just yet. I want to finish reading these reports first, before I make my move.”  Joseph moved the mouse down to another icon, and double clicked it.  The printer began to spit paper out almost immediately, and once the print-out was complete he bound the pages together with a bulldog clip and handed it to Martin with instructions to highlight anything of interest that they didn’t know and wait until all the files had been read.  As each one of them finished reading their respective print out, they were to grab another one from the pile until they were all read. Then they would all discuss their findings.
Joseph then proceeded to print off every file that he assumed were downloaded by Robert, along with anything that appeared to be of interest that had been created by Rosetta’s father.

********

The first few print-outs that were read only reinforced what they already knew about the Punjani, and the Punjaniti, and were quickly discarded by the readers who moved on to the next print-out.  However, the notes, written by an investigator from another government department indicated that there were suspicious, though as yet unproven – and yet-to-be investigated, methods used by the museum in obtaining their exhibits.   The author indicated that there were also some questions that needed answering about strange goings on in the museum during official closures, when several dozen visitors would, for some unknown reason, arrive around eight o’clock and be given admission.  These visitors were always high-powered members of the government and business world -many of whom were of foreign extraction. The report went on to give a recommendation that a special task force be instigated to further investigate the museum and its curator.
Pressing the fifth icon produced mainly technical details regarding how the bugging of the laptop occurred, and where the information had gone which, of course, had been to Professor Robinson’s museum and another computer.  The other recipient was unidentified, but presumably, in Joseph’s mind at least, was Raymond Sharki.
Joseph hoped Robert’s assurance that the computer was now debugged was one hundred percent accurate.  The last thing that he wanted was for his most immediate enemy to be aware that they were still alive, and aware of his existence.
The sixth, and final piece of information that Robert had supplied was the one that Joseph began to read, and he nearly fell off his chair as he realised what he was reading.   Somehow, Robert had stumbled on some information that not only dealt with the Punjaniti as a force of evil to be reckoned with, but it explained how it could be destroyed.

For those of you who have shown such enduring patience as you patiently waited for the output of this episode, I say, thank you. August has been a month that certainly tested me. I found myself rewriting nearly fifty percent of this chapter … battling to work around the loss of the classic version of the blog, a major printer breakdown, having to purchase and do battle with a new (second hand) computer with uncooperative elements … and a total refusal to let me easily incorporate the elements of my security programs ….plus I have lost my output e-mail account whilst retaining the inbox e-mails. Thank god tomorrow is the first day of spring. And there is more.

Anyway, that is the end of my whinging … thanks for your patience. Happy reading and see you again real soon, I hope.

Regards,

Tony S

SHORT FAT STUBBY FINGER STORIES PRESENTS: EPISODE 75 

The COUNTDOWN BEGINS 6-5-4-3-2-1 

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Episode 75

COUNTDOWN … 6 … 5 … 4 … 3… 2 … 1 …

********

The early morning wake-up calls from the hotel reception rang loud and clear in three different rooms, but disorientation initially reigned supreme as Mary and Joseph wandered around, still half asleep, and in unfamiliar surroundings.  It was primarily the unrecognisable clothing and bathroom toiletries that brought Joseph out of the grey fog that surrounded his mind, along with the fact that everything in the room seemed to be located the opposite way around than it had been for the past few mornings.  Mary, on the other hand, was awoken by Joseph’s requested wake up call, but it was only as she made her way to the bathroom and opened the door to turn on the hot water tap did things begin to feel not quite right to her … and everything from the previous night came flooding back into her mind when she returned to the bedroom and found herself extracting Joseph’s underpants and socks from the bedside dresser. Mary quickly redressed and made her way back to her own room.

********

Martin was still snoring loudly when Mary entered her own room, though he had made the move from the lounge chair to the bed, and the room’s land-line phone was off the hook and resting on the floor. It had obviously disturbed Martin’s sleep for long enough to have him pick up the receiver, but not long enough for him to take any action to the message’s content. Mary decided waking Martin would not be a good idea at the moment. Far better to just grab some clothes and a towel and go back to Joseph’s room to get changed, she thought. But as Mary walked to the clothes cupboard she suddenly wondered just where Joseph was; He had been on the bed when she had left the room, but before she had a chance to answer her own question, there was a knock on the door and Mary automatically opened the door to a pleasant surprise.
“Well, think of the devil. Good morning, Joseph,” she smiled sweetly as she pulled the door wide open,  “Sleep well?”
“Eventually.”  Joseph replied. “Yourself?”
“Eventually.  I tried to stay awake for you in case you decided to come, but it had been a long day. I think I lasted ten minutes.”
“I know the feeling. I left my run too late to escape the eruption of Mount Martin and decided not to wake you up. I ended up taking the chance and withdrew his room key from his pocket before I attempted suicide.”
“A pity about your timing, it could have been fun.  Should we wake him?”
“No. Let him sleep.  Let’s get some coffee before we go to Laurie’s for breakfast and if he is still sleeping when we are ready to go, we will see if we can borrow William’s car and Martin can join us when he’s ready. I think after last night’s binge he might need as much sleep as he can get to be of any use to us.”
“We could use my car if you wish.”
“That is very kind of you, Mary. Yes, that would be perfect. I really don’t like driving.”
“I’ll have to get a change of clothes and have a shower first.”
“That is fine. I will meet you in the restaurant. I’ll get you one to go. I just remembered we need to be there by seven.
“My watch is in your room. What time is it now?”
“A little after six.”
“I won’t be long. Joseph opened the door and made his way down to the restaurant while Mary retrieved what she needed and returned to Joseph’s room.

********

Fifteen minutes later, dressed and feeling a lot fresher after the shower, Mary, happy as their journey to the farm began, had a sip of her hot drink, feeling its smooth, velvety, richness quickly place her taste buds in joyous ecstasy. But it was not just the hot chocolate that William had provided at short notice that was making her happy, nor was the chance to be alone with Joseph for a while.  They had left a hastily written note on the bedside table for Martin and taken the Mini … and what was making Mary happy was the anticipated-to-be-plausible story she had concocted in the shower that would explain Gizmo should the computerised Artificial Intelligence. g.p.s. system reactivate herself, because Mary was completely aware of the problems she would have trying to explain Gizmo to Joseph. Especially as to why it had been installed and whom it was that had requested and paid for its installation … and something had made her think that was more than possible seeing as how she had not connected with her for several days. And she had become so involved in the events taking place around her … she had forgotten about keeping in touch with Johann. P. Biggs.
“Do you think that Robert will have everything that we need, Joseph?
“I hope so, Mary. I truly hope so.”

********


As they drove through the quietness and serenity of the countryside, unencumbered by any technical distractions such as driving, Joseph soon found himself lost in thought as his mind again wandered through the uncharted territory that he now found himself in.  Only a few days ago he was a ‘nobody’ – a ‘nobody’ in a boring job, with a boring life and no one exciting to share it with. Now, he was up to his neck in witchcraft and creatures from the unknown.  Murders and attempted murders, mysterious cults, and to top it all off, he now found himself gaining some form of telekinetic power where he was getting visions to guide him through dangerous situations.   He was beginning to despise his new talents to the point of almost being in fear of them.  ‘Where would it all end?’ He wondered inwardly. ‘Is this all for real, or am I simply hallucinating? When I think of Rosetta, I sometimes feel that is the case.’

********

“Well, here we are.” Mary’s bright, cheery, voice brought Joseph out of his dreams and back to the moment.  He shook his head in disbelief; the arrival at Laurie’s house had taken him by surprise. He knew it was not a long journey to the house, but it still surprised him because he could not reflect on anything connected with the journey other than leaving the hotel, and he found that a bit of a worry. But Mary was not seemingly showing contempt towards him for a lack of communication on the trip, and for that he was pleased. However he was surprised that Mary hadn’t attempted to talk to him at some stage, it didn’t seem normal … Mary did like to talk, and she would have every right to be annoyed if he had ignored her, but if he had … he had no idea that he had done so. He decided to not say anything about it for the moment and play things by ear as the car pulled into the open driveway that ran beside Laurie’s house. It was quiet this time of the morning. There was the odd bird chattering away somewhere above in the trees that were scattered along the various properties that resided in the street where Laurie lived, but they were far and few between. A nip still resided in the morning air, not enough to cause major discomfort, but certainly warranted the need for a jacket to protect the wearer until the sun rose a little higher in the sk,y. The morning, the location, the house and garden in the light from the rising sun could have easily made the front cover of Home Beautiful or Town and Country, and for a second or so Joseph thought the entire scene to be beautiful, tranquil, safe … however, within a further second, Joseph felt the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, a cold sweat form on his forehead, and a wave of apprehension flooding over him.
“Something is wrong,” he stated immediately he got out of the car.
“Why do you say that?  It looks pretty normal to me.” Mary remarked with a grin, “I mean it is a quiet little country village. It looks just perfect in the morning sun,”
“I don’t know.  It’s just that …,” Joseph changed his words midstream and Mary got a shock when she saw the depth of his concern reflecting in his eyes as he looked deep into hers, “The dogs!  Where are the dogs that Laurie said would let him know if they got visitors?”
“I don’t know.  They could be inside sleeping and can’t hear us – like Martin.”  She laughed aloud at her own joke, but Joseph failed to be amused.
“They are supposed to be guard dogs, not household guests.  Even if they were inside, they would still be barking.”
They had reached the front door and Joseph was about to knock when Mary gently tapped him on the arm.
“There they are, Joseph.  I told you they were asleep.”
Joseph looked to where Mary was pointing and he could see the dogs lying under a tree about fifty yards away. He walked over in their direction. The dogs were lying side by side and appeared to be dead to the world. Joseph reached down and gingerly touched one on the rump.  The body was warm to the touch, but there was no reaction, not even a rippling of the skin, which would have been expected.  Next, he spat on one of his fingers and placed it in one of the dog’s nostril. It took four seconds to be certain, but finally he was rewarded with the certainly that the dog was still breathing as he felt the minutest of breath gently roll across the wet digit. Satisfied that they still had life, Joseph stared at the dogs for several seconds, then took a risk and attempted to roll one of the dogs over.   Aside from the difficulty due to the weight of the dog, he encountered no other problem in doing so. As soon as he had completed the task, he immediately jumped up and ran towards the house.
“What’s the matter?”  Mary’s voice cried out, confused as to the reason behind Joseph’s sudden reaction as she chased after him.
“The dogs have been drugged.” he replied, almost in a whisper, as he tried the door, which he found to be unlocked.   He ran inside, only to trip over the fallen body of Malena.   Joseph silently cursed as he made a pledge to himself to take more care in entering rooms.  This was the second time in forty-eight hours that he had fallen over the prone body of a woman occupying the space immediately in front of his size elevens.
Mary, who had moved quickly behind him, couldn’t stop from running into both of them and also tripped, rolling several times on the floor before coming to a stop and finding herself making eyeball contact with an unblinking Laurie. Mary screamed as loud as her voice allowed her.

********

It took Joseph several seconds to scramble up from the entanglement with Malena, attempting to do his best not to do any damage to her as he did so, then rushed over to Mary’s aid, helping her to her feet before he held her close as she slowly calmed down.
“Is he dead?” Mary asked.
“I don’t know.  Are you alright now?”
“Yes, I think so.” Joseph moved away from Mary and turned his attention to Laurie.  He checked his pulse and found that it seemed to be running normally.   He then performed the same check on Malena who also seemed to be in good health, other than being unconscious.  Despite the coolness of the morning outside Malena was only wearing a slightly paint-stained tee shirt and red tracksuit pants which indicated that she had certainly not been outside the house, and whatever had happened to her had obviously caught her by surprise,
Joseph half dragged, half lifted her to the nearest lounge chair.   Once he had her resting on the chair he started examining her arms.   Her body, like the dogs, was warm.  Joseph guessed that she had been working around the kitchen when she collapsed. The left arm revealed nothing, but the right one revealed what he had been searching for.   “They’ve been drugged too.  Look at this.”
Mary examined the area that Joseph had been looking at, and saw a small red welt on Malena’s arm just above the elbow.
“That’s exactly what Rosetta had on her arm.  Quickly, check their pockets for rubies.  You check Malena and I will check Laurie.
Mary was a little bit bewildered where to start searching as there was nowhere to put anything in the tight fitting top that Malena wore that wouldn’t be seen and although she gently patted them, it was obvious that there was nothing the size of a ruby bulging in the pockets of Malena’s tracksuit pants.   Joseph, on the other hand, had no such problem; he found a ruby in Laurie’s coat pocket as soon as he started his search.  He got up quickly and walked to the door.    Once outside he looked for somewhere safe to dispose of it, finally settling for burying it by hand underneath a rather large gnome in the front garden.   As soon as he was back inside he enquired how Mary was getting on.
“She doesn’t seem to have one.”
Try inside her hand,” Joseph suggested.
Mary was a bit surprised by Joseph’s suggestion, but to her further astonishment she found that Malena’s hand was actually clenched.  Mary tried gently to unlock the hand only to discover that it had been bound by clear sticky tape.  Scrolling a fingernail along the tape she eventually located the end of the tape and began peeling it back until there was enough to pull and eventually removed all of the tape. As soon as Mary removed the binding, and opened the hand, a ruby fell to the floor.  Joseph quickly grabbed it and disposed of it exactly as he done with the first, and it was then that he noticed how dark it was getting. He looked up towards the sky, surprised to find a huge storm approaching, There was no sound of thunder, but the streaks of lightning that exploded out of and through the dark patch of black and grey clouds convinced Joseph that it would not be safe to be outside when it arrived.  As he was about to re-enter the house Martin pulled up in the driveway behind the Mini.  Joseph indicated that they both should get inside as quickly as possible. They had no sooner entered the house, between them managing to close the door against the might of the massive gust of wind that was now entering the house, when the sound of a double blast rocked the entire house.  Only a couple of feet from where they were standing a window that opened to face the garden shattered into thousands of tiny fragments as pieces of rock and plaster flew into the room.  The largest piece of plaster, the green and yellow gnome’s head, fell at Joseph’s feet, rolling over several times until its dull, black-painted eyes stared listlessly up at him.
“Sorry about that old fellow.  I thought that gnomes were exempt.” Joseph admitted as he attempted a little humour in order to provide some relief to the situation.
“My God that was close.” Mary cried.  “Another few inches and that could have been us.”
“Yes.  That’s the second time we have had a close call.  At least that counts for most of the rubies.  But who is setting them, and why Laurie? – The computer … ”    Answering his own question, Joseph swung around in the direction of where the computer had been located the previous night, and for the first time since they had arrived, noticed the damage that had been done to the equipment .  
Laurie’s once immaculate and intricate set-up, lay broken and scattered throughout the living room.  The computer had been torn in half, as if a chainsaw had been run through it.  The monitor had a vase embedded in the middle of the still smoking chassis.  Broken glass lay on the floor glistening in the morning rays.  Microphones, speakers, and the printer as well as the other peripherals, were squashed and mutilated and left dangling by their cords over the side of the desk.
“Well that explains the visit.  And ironically, it may have told us who is responsible for the attacks and the killings.  But without the computer we can’t get the information from Robert.”
“That was the closest I have ever been to a storm.” A clearly shell shocked Martin observed as he began to look around the room and his eyes suddenly took in the strangely placed bodies of Laurie and Melana. “What the devil happened to them? And what are you talking about, Joseph
“They seem to have been drugged.” Joseph relied nonchalantly. “And what I am talking about is Rangor; Laurie and Melana had rubies implanted on them. We were fortunate enough to find them in time and I placed them under my former friend there, barely thirty seconds before you arrived, much to his misfortune.
“You have had a busy morning, haven’t you?”
“We have only been here for around ten minutes. It all happened rather fast.
“Thanks for not waking me.”
“You’re quite welcome.”
“I was being facetious.”
“Oh, sorry … I thought that you were being grateful.  The way that you were snoring I didn’t think that you would wake until noon.  Anyway we left you your car in case you did wake early.  Which you obviously did to get here so fast.”
“That was funny.  I got a phone call on my mobile and when I answered it, there was no one there.  I tried to go back to sleep, but it rang again, yet there was still no one there – private number was all that it said.  Four times it did that until I knew that I wasn’t going to get back to sleep, so I had a shower.   Mind you, I got a bit of a shock with the things that I found in the shower until I remembered where I had fallen asleep. I went downstairs to find you two and William told me that you had come here.  So here I am.”
“And lucky to be alive, I should think.”
“What do you mean?
“I think that we were all meant to be here when it exploded.  If it hadn’t been for what Mary had interpreted from the diary, what we experienced back at the hotel, and the drugged dogs on the lawn, then I wouldn’t have thought to look for the rubies.”
“So who do you think is responsible?”
“My guess is that it was something to do with Professor Robinson of the Philadelphia Private Museum.”
“How do you figure that?”
“The reason that I got Robert to check on him was partially based on intuition – and taking into consideration the way Raji got his information on the Punjaniti, or, more to the point, the information that he didn’t get.   From what Raji told us, he spent a lot of time conversing with the professor without getting any useful information, yet the Punjani managed to locate Raji rather easily.  How?  My bet is that this Professor Robinson is somehow connected with the Punjani. If not a member himself, then they may have him under observation: whichever, I feel certain that they are aware of him and his interest in Rangor.  Why he would be killing everybody connected with the statue I don’t know, but I would assume it is to cover his tracks so nobody is aware that he exists, because, as far as I am concerned, he already has the statue.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” Martin agreed, “but without the feedback from Robert we may never know.”
“Should we call an ambulance for these two?”  Mary asked.
“Yes, I suppose that we had better,” Joseph replied with a start.   “My god … I had completely forgotten about them.”  He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his mobile and was about to call nine nine nine when Laurie began to moan, a sound so unexpected that it startled them all. Joseph switched off the half dialed mobile and joined the others in the rush to Laurie’s side.   Martin and Joseph each put an arm under him and helped him to his feet.   Once they had him up they helped him walk, albeit on unsteady feet, to a chair where he sat down with great relief.
“Whew!  Have I got a headache!” he groaned.
“I’ll see if he has any headache pills in the house.” Mary volunteered.
“Not pills.” Laurie’s voice rasped.  “Please, in the kitchen there is an unmarked brown bottle.  Could you pour a bit into a glass?  About half a cup will do, a measurement cup , that is … not half a glass, thank you. My god, what happened to the room?” 
“Well, welcome back to the land of the living, Laurie. We thought that we had lost you. We were hoping that you could tell us, or at least part of it,” Joseph replied,  It would seem that you have been drugged and somebody took a dislike to your computer system.  They also left you with a couple of rubies.  And. the Punjaniti also paid you a visit and would have killed you had we not removed the rubies and placed them outside. In retrospect, placing them underneath one of your gnomes may not have been such a good idea.  It seems our creature can’t distinguish between a human and piece of plaster. Then again, maybe it just didn’t like gnomes.”
“A lot of people don’t like gnomes, you know.” Mary laughed as she returned from the kitchen with a glass containing some very thick brown liquid, “They think they’re evil.”
“My god … you’re not going to drink that are you?  It looks like cow droppings on a wet day in a wet field..” Joseph stated, his voice full of disgust at the sight of the revolting offering.
“It’s my special remedy,” Laurie replied with a laugh before swallowing the entire contents in one gulp.  Then, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief that seemed to come from nowhere, he continued, “I have been taking this medicine all of my life.  My mother taught me how to make it and her father taught her.  It is a family recipe that was given to us by the protectors of the village.  It fixes everything. Ah!  That feels better.”  Seconds later, he was up on his feet and acting as if nothing had ever happened. 
“Are you sure that you are alright, Laurie?” Joseph asked.
“I am fit as a fiddle.” Laurie replied with a grin a mile wide on his face.
“Do you have any idea who might have done this?”
“None at all, I am afraid.”  
“Do you remember anything at all?”
Laurie shook his head.  “No.  I got up around six. Malena was already in the kitchen getting things ready for your visit. I thought that I heard the dogs bark, but it was only for a second.  I looked out the door and saw them getting themselves comfortable and lying back down beneath one of the trees.  Must have been a bad dream that they had been having, or some other animal had inadvertently wandered by, so I came back in and that’s the last thing that I can recollect.”
“Seeing as how you have recovered, I wonder if we should still call an ambulance for Malena or wait for a while and see if she recovers by herself?”  Mary enquired.
“I think that we should call an ambulance,” Laurie replied, “to be on the safe side.”
“Does Malena take this medicine occasionally?” Joseph asked.
” Malena doesn’t take this medicine unless she is really sick … and that is not very often,.”
“Laurie,” Joseph asked, “what is in this medicine of yours?”
Laurie listed the various ingredients that he used then Joseph asked him when the last time was that he had taken the medicine.
“This morning: I was feeling rather lethargic when I first got up and I felt that I was coming down with something.  My tonic can cure many ills, so I took some. It must have reduced the effects of the drug if Malena hasn’t come to yet. I am sure that she is a lot healthier than me, so I assume her constitution is a lot stronger than mine. I think she should have woken up by now.”
“Your medicine may do more than you know.  I’ve got an idea.  It’s a bit wild, but it may work. Mary, could you pour out another glass of Laurie’s brew please? … around the same size as you got for Laurie”
Mary went back to the kitchen, her curiosity, like that of the others, was on high mode. She was only gone for a few seconds and when she returned Joseph had Malena in a sitting position, one hand cupping her chin.  He thanked her as he took the glass then proceeded to place the edge of the glass against Malena’s lips.
“You can’t make her drink while she is unconscious, Joseph. She will choke on it,” Mary objected strongly.   The others joined in, voicing their agreement with her. But Joseph dismissed their objections and started to tickle her under the chin before he tipped but a trickle of the liquid through her lips, then continued tickling her under the chin.  To the surprise of the others the motion induced Malena to swallow the tonic.  Encouraged, Joseph repeated the process time after time until she had taken the entire contents of the glass, while the others watched on in fear for her safety. Once he was satisfied that she had no fluid in her mouth or throat Joseph then carefully rested her back on the lounge.  Five seconds elapsed in total silence.  Then, without any warning Malena’s leg began to twitch.  Just as suddenly, her entire body began to spasm violently. Then before anybody could react she stopped, and her eyes sprung open and she looked around the room in total disorientation.  Finally her eyes fell on Laurie and a faint display of recognition appeared on her face.   She tried to move, but her body fell back as fast as she had moved forward.       
“Take it easy, girl.” Laurie cautioned gently, “You’ll come good in a second or two.” 
Malena closed her eyes, closed her eyes, counted to ten inside her mind, then opened them up again.  This time, as she looked around the room she began to recognize the faces that were coming out of the fog that surrounded her. As the haze lifted completely Malena saw the broken rocks and plaster and finally the destroyed computer equipment.   She jumped up with a start.  “What happened?” she cried, and then her mind suddenly snapped back to an earlier incident,  “Those men … they did this!” She stated angrily, her eyes darting wildly around the room.
“What men?”  Joseph asked as he sat on the lounge beside her. Malena turned to face him, her mind still in slight bewilderment, as the pieces continued to whirl around inside her head, then, like a completed jigsaw, everything fell into place.
Now sitting back in the chair, and feeling a bit more relaxed, Malena began to explain what had happened earlier.   “Uncle Laurie had just come into the kitchen to get some of his medicine when the dogs started to bark.  He waited a few seconds then went out to see what they were barking at, but by then they had stopped. He came back inside and I just happened to be watching him when he walked through the doorway, and I saw something red flash through the air which hit him on the back of the neck.  He went to brush it away, however, before he could reach his hand all the way around to it, he collapsed on the floor. 
Something made me turn around and there was a man standing behind him  He was holding something like a piece of bamboo in one hand, and a small dart like thing with a red feather stuck in the end of it, in the other hand.  Or, at least, that’s what it looked like to me.  At the same time I was distracted by a sound outside the door and I saw a short foreign looking man standing there.  There was a sudden sharp feeling in my arm and that’s the last thing that I can remember.  So what happened here?”
For the second time that morning Joseph explained his guess at the morning’s events, lamenting on the fact that they would not be able to check with Robert because of the broken computer.
“Maybe he sent a back up message to the laptop.” Laurie suggested.
“Would he think to do that?”  Joseph queried apprehensively.
“He’s a pretty smart boy is my Robert.  If he had something important to tell you, then he might have decided that you would need accessibility to review the information at a later date and transmitted the information to your computer so that you could use it anytime that it suited you. It wouldn’t be hard to do.  He already had your e-mail address, or, at least, the one that was on the laptop.”
“Yes, well that’s fine Laurie, but it’s probably just a pile of rubble now, like yours is. Mind you, I don’t see it on the table, but I presume it is somewhere nearby. Or perhaps they took it with them to see if they could pry out more about what the professor may have discovered about the Punjaniti. Either way it is of no use to us if he did send the backup. We don’t have the laptop.
“Maybe we do.  When I received your phone call last night I was unfazed about security because of the dogs, but I thought that maybe I should take precautions with your equipment – just in case.  So I hid it in a safe place. Hold on and I’ll go and check.”   A minute later he came out with a smile on his face and the laptop under his arm. He handed it over to Joseph who immediately handed it back to him.
“That’s a relief, but this part of the game is yours to play, Laurie.”
Laurie chuckled at the thought of his own importance in the chain of events that were unfolding.   “It will take me a few moments.”  He smiled, then asked Malena, if she felt up to making everyone some coffee before making his way over to the computer desk, brushing the broken bits and pieces onto the floor, and placing the laptop on the now empty space as he began to press buttons with the enthusiasm and experience of a professional.
As Laurie went about his business with the enthusiasm of a teenager testing the latest game in his possession, Malena looked deep into Joseph’s eyes.  “Would you like to give me a hand please, Joseph?  I still feel a bit dizzy.
“Certainly,” Joseph replied blissfully unaware of the icy cold stare emitting from Mary’s steely blue eyes.

the countdown continues …….

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Episode 74

COUNTDOWN … 7

They lay there on the bed; their heads resting on the bedhead. Luke-warm, half-consumed, coffees residing on the bedside tables either side of the bed, as Mary processed the final pages of the diary, while Joseph stared blankly at the notes that she had already read out to him, trying hard to make some sense out of it all.
“Mary!”
“Yes Joseph?” she half answered, her mind preoccupied with what she was reading.
“It looks like we may have to spend a couple of additional days here, in the village, so I was wondering …”
“Yes, Joseph” Her heart beginning to beat wildly, Mary immediately gave Joseph her full attention.
“I was wondering if you could do something special for me?”
Mary’s eyes lit up with anticipation at what was coming. “Certainly.’ She replied without a moment’s hesitation. “What would you like me to do, Joseph?”
“Could you please see your doctor friend in the morning and get a couple of medical statements to cover us for, say, four days. After all, he does seem a little bit keen on you, so I am sure that he would co-operate.”
“Yes.” Mary replied sullenly, “I expect that could be arranged.
Mary’s tone was one of disappointment for she had hoped his request would be more of an intimate nature, but she also realised that they both would need some proof of illness or injury should they have an extra day off following a public holiday. Mary had quickly accepted without question Joseph’s involvement in this adventure that she was so excitedly caught up in. She assumed that this type of operation must be normal to him, and she wondered how he usually arranged for the time off that he needed. She imagined that it may be a fairly regular occurrence in his life, but before she could continue with her thoughts, there was a knock on the door.
Joseph got up and opened it slightly – surprised to find Martin swaying slightly as the door was pulled away from his clenched fist.
“I was just wondering if you two had found anything new?” Martin asked; his current state of sobriety quite obvious as he brushed past Joseph and immediately settled himself into one of several large lounge chairs in the room
“Not yet,” Joseph sighed as he resumed his place on the bed beside Mary, “We are having some trouble understanding just what the professor is getting at,.
“So, bounce it off me. Maybe something will break open.
“I guess we have nothing to lose, except perhaps for some sleep,” Joseph sighed as he handed Mary the notes. “Go ahead, Mary, read out what we’ve got.”
“Well, I am afraid that I may have deciphered some of the words incorrectly due to the professor’s chicken scrawl, but here goes. It would appear that during their many on-line conversations with their associates in the field, the professor and his brother were warned of a possible threat to their lives, and this is one of the areas where I am not certain that I have translated his scribbling correctly.
The person that he was talking to, a Johansson or Johnson, I am unsure which is correct, however, at any rate, he warned the professor that there was a possibility that their conversations were being monitored: The person that could be spying on them was code named Jaws. The word out on the street was that he was about to strike very shortly.
He also goes on with a warning to watch out for the man who pretends to worship God, but uses the hospital as a cover to hide himself from the truth.”
“The doctor, I am willing to bet anything,” Joseph muttered, half to himself.
“Perhaps.” Mary replied as she rolled her eys at Joseph;s persistence in assuming Doctor James was a bad guy, “There is another reference about the rubies. It seems that there were seven rubies missing from the statue in total; four missing when the statue first arrived, and the three that he thought Vittorio had taken. And that is all that I could make out, and even then, my translation is not guaranteed to be accurate. A lot of it was just sketches, as if he was doodling when he wrote it. The ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics would have been easier to understand. I’m sorry, I did the best that I could, but it’s not a perfect interpretation.”
“Jaws, hey … sounds like that character from the James Bond movie. I wonder if he has a theme song like Bruce the shark did. Brum! brum!, brum! Do do do do do do do do” Martin chuckled as he broke into an interpretation of the suggested song. Martin’s eyes and current actions confirmed Joseph’s thoughts that Martin was the victim of several more drinks since they had left him in the foyer, and he began to wonder how long he would last before collapsing.
“Well a code name is no good to us, unfortunately,” Joseph commented in a more serious tone than Martin, “What does he mean by, ‘To watch for the man who praises God, but uses the hospital to hide the truth’?”
“To hide from the truth.” Mary corrected.
“I stand chastised.” Joseph confessed. “Perhaps I could learn to listen better.”
“It’s not important,” Mary jumped in quickly, fearing that she might have upset him with the quickness of her tongue.
“No, it may be important,” he smiled, “especially in view of the fact that you couldn’t finish the interpretation accurately. There could be something going on that we don’t know about yet.”
“I’m sorry that I couldn’t get it right.” Mary’s tone was slightly subdued as she spoke.
Joseph sensed her feelings were hurting – he put his arm around her and pulled her into his arms. “No, I wasn’t referring to your good work at all, to all the good work that you did. With Rosetta still comatose we would never have been able to understand any of it without it, especially about the rubies. You probably saved my life.”
Mary smiled and snuggled closer into his chest.
“What I actually meant was,” Joseph continued, “without knowing the full details of the diary we may still have more things to worry about than just getting the statue back for Raji. Well, I guess outside of a miracle, we will just have to await the morning rays and see what news Robert has. We had better turn in for the night, Martin.” Joseph turned to look at Martin and found him sound asleep on the small lounge.
Mary got up from the bed, shook her head, an ironic smile on her face, as without a word she leaned over and kissed Joseph gently on the lips. She took the keys he offered, and left to spend the night sleeping in Joseph’s room, while Joseph rolled his eyes in contemplation of spending the night defending his sleep – and his sanity – against Martin’s snoring.
Two restless hours later, Joseph took the risk of waking him, extracted Martin’s room key from his pocket, and made his way to find the door that it fitted in order to find the solitude and silence that his tired, pounding head required.

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the night of the darkness

Episode 73

********

Suddenly. the scene changed into what seemed to be more modern times, though I saw the fat man again; immediately, in fact. Only, this time, he was wearing a very expensive suit, and sporting a most distinguishable silver bracelet and necklace.  He was seated on a bus, currently parked on a quiet, well-worn highway in a barren countryside..  He appeared to be listening intently to the conversation taking place between two men who were arguing at the bus stop. I couldn’t see their faces, nor could I hear their conversation, so I have no idea of their importance in the dream, however, I can tell you that one was was wearing rather dirty, but traditional, dishdasha, while the other was wearing modern day western apparel. The clothing by the man wearing the dishdasha was so filthy I wondered if perhaps he had spent the night sleeping in one of the many caves that existed along the length of the gorgeous mountain that resided beside the empty highway, and that set me to thinking that perhaps these were the same caves I had visited in the earlier dream … so I still don’t know where it is my mind is being taken to. But what may be of interest to you in is the fact that the fat man was using some kind of mini device to listen-in to their conversation. I assume that is what he was doing, because I could see no other use for the apparatus. The two men were too far away for me to see their faces: I could not hear the conversation, but it was obvious that the doppelganger could.’
“Doppelganger?” Mary asked in an incredulous tone. “What do you mean, William?”
“The two fat men were so similar in appearance: in every way. With the exception of their clothing, it would have been impossible to tell them apart. My dream told me that the one in the suit was a reincarnation of the earlier version, but whether that is true, or not I have no idea, however, they certainly had an unbelievable resemblance to each other.   

********

The dream changed again, and this time the fat man was no longer in the bus, but sitting in a car outside Foster’s Farm, while inside the farmhouse men were being killed by a blaze of bullets.

********

Then my vision came back to witnessing you four just as you moved forward towards the circle.  Suddenly, I heard someone behind you calling out – and immediately the vision changed and I found myself confronted by the face that was coming out of the wall.  Closer and closer I felt myself being dragged forward towards this evil thing. I was so close to the creature I could feel the heat of the embers below, and smell the vileness of its breath.  I could see its eyes piercing straight through me, and I could feel the hairs on my neck begin to rise again, as the words that were being called out from behind you identified you four as being thieves. But it was not you, or the faceless person calling out, that the punjaniti was interested in – it was me!  I could feel the sweat starting to run down my face so hard, and so fast, that I was finding it difficult to see for the salt that burned at my eyes.  And still harder it stared.  It was as if it was aware of my presence yet could not yet identify my whereabouts.  Its gaze intensified and my whole body began shaking, when suddenly, it was as if a veil had been lifted and recognition commenced.  A fire started burning in its eyes. Although I was presumably safe at home, I never-the-less turned my body sharply away from the danger I faced as it raised its hand and threw a bolt of red-hot lightning at me.  The blazing spear seemed to explode through the imaginary screen behind my eyelids where I viewed the images.  Incredibly, unbelievably, it changed from a projected vision to reality. My life moved into slow motion.   The projectile of death seemed to float – drift – unerringly through the air – twisting, turning, sparking as it continued its approach. Its course – its destiny … the very centre of my unprotected heart.  
In the illusion of its eternal movement the radiance from the fiery weapon of death created a glow that began first on the wall then appeared to encompass the entire room as it came closer and closer to me.   It was only by a miracle, or perhaps help from a higher source, that saved me.  I know not which, but a split milli-second before that the flame should have struck me, I passed out, and fell to the floor.  I lay there, for God knows how long.   Eventually Jacko found me and brought me to.  He had come in answer to a request from one of the patrons who thought that she had heard a gunshot and could smell something burning inside the conference room.  But before Jacko could help me, he had to use the fire extinguisher to put out the fire that was burning in the rather large hole in the wall – right behind where I had been standing before I fell.  Your guess as to what it means, and what happened, is as good as mine, but I have never felt so scared in my entire life.”
“Are you trying to tell us that the creature that we saw at the farm attacked you, here in the hotel, at the same time that he was killing the witches at the farm?” Mary asked, astonished at William’s suggestion of the impossible.
“Perhaps the the killing of the witches was an accident, perhaps I was the target all the time, the death of the witches was simply collateral damage. I am not certain exactly what happened.  Perhaps you would like to take a look at the conference room and make your own decision?”
“It is possible that was what happened. William may very well have been the target for reasons completely unknown by us,” Joseph agreed, “The sequence of events that William described means that it happened at exactly the same minute that he started the attack on the witches by killing the witch that had outed us. If this is the cloned version of the punjaniti perhaps there was a glitch in his transferred power. Perhaps he did not have the power to transmit the energy to where William was physically residing, and the force of the projectile was absorbed by the witch at the back of the room simply because he was standing in its path.”
“I had thought the missile was aimed at us and the first flame missed us and hit that poor chap behind us.” Martin said as he scratched his head in amazement.  “How much power does this thing have?  To be able to strike at two different targets simultaneously, and one of them so far away from the other, is truly awesome.   I certainly hope that we have permanently prevented it from coming back.
Instead of commentating on Martins words, Joseph looked at Mary for an unnerving length of time before he spoke,
“Mary, did you ever get around to finish reading Vittorio’s diary?”
“Almost … I got a bit distracted the last time I tried, remember?” she teased. Joseph felt a bit embarrassed and flushed slightly, but didn’t respond. Mary simply smiled at Joseph’s discomfort and went on, leaving the others a tad perplexed at their apparently private conversation, “There were a few pages that I couldn’t interpret.  But I ‘m sure that I could, with a little more time.”
“Would you mind awfully doing that now?   We may need your findings in the morning when we see Laurie.”
“You’re going to see Laurie?  Why?  Does he know something that I don’t?”  William asked, his voice displaying tones of hurt and betrayal.
“Why, William, you sound like you’re jealous.  I would have thought with your powers that you would have already known that we were going there tomorrow.  Don’t your guardian friends tell you everything?”  Mary laughed, suddenly feeling justified at her earlier assessment of William as an interloper.
“I told you before,” William stammered, “I use Laurie as he is needed.  He does not have any strength in his limited powers.  You are just wasting your time asking him questions.”
“Don’t burst a blood vessel, William,” Joseph intervened, “you’ve already had one close call tonight.  No need to try to bring on a heart attack.  Nobody’s questioning your abilities.  We needed some information regarding computers and we felt that Laurie’s son was the best one to help us. After all, it was you that had suggested him in the first place..”
“Oh … computer googly gook. Doctor google and his dozen rabbits. Yes, well I suppose that you’re right there.  Couldn’t go past young Robert for that kind of thing – No – You are right on in your thinking.”  William’s tone failed any attempt to camouflage his relief at this revelation of the reason for their visit.   Although William knew that Laurie had some powers he had always felt that they were inferior to his own, Arkerious had tried to ensure him of this fact, but he had never been totally certain. He was getting on in years and, since his wife had died, he had hung on more and more to this belief as a reason for living.  Now, the fear that had run through him when he thought that Laurie knew things that he himself did not, it scared him more than the creature that had tried to kill him.  ‘Perhaps it was time to retire and let his son take over,’ he thought, ‘but not yet.  No – not until this was all over and they were all safe again, but maybe soon.
“William.”
Joseph’s voice broke through the self inflicted fog that had taken control of Williams’s thoughts and snapped him back to the moment.
“Yes? Sorry? Mind ran off the road for a second or two, Can I do something for you, Joseph?”  William’s voice croaked slightly as he answered and he started coughing.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes!  Yes!  I’m fine.”  But he knew that he was lying.  The sooner that this business was over the better it would be.’ he thought.
“William, I want you to tell me what you know about Robert.
“Laurie’s son?”
“Yes.”
“There’s not much to tell really.  He was an above average child ; showed a high intelligence at an early age.  He didn’t want to leave the village, but when he finished his senior year word got out about his results. He found himself pursued by various parties including the Defence Forces and some very influential civilian companies. He chose the Navy because they offered him the chance to follow up on his interest in computers. They paid for his university education; specialising in computer maths, cyber apps and hi-tech decryption, and was attached to their intelligence division where he works as a decoder and code developer.  It’s pretty prestigious from what I can gather.”
“So he really knows a lot about computers?”
“I believe that he is considered to be a genius by those that have worked with him.”
“Is he married or engaged?”
“Not as far as I know.  Why?”
“I am a bit concerned that there may be pressure put on him during his investigation into what I have asked him to do for me.  I was wondering what leverage they could use. Are there any other relatives?”
“Only his cousin Malena. She lives in London as a rule, however, she is visiting at the moment.  But you would know that wouldn’t you? Seeing as how you have just been to Laurie’s.”
“Actually we met her the other day, here in the hotel.  I am glad that you mentioned her because I hadn’t considered her to be in any danger until just now.  Do you have Laurie’s number?”
“I don’t have it etched in my mind, but I can get it for you.”
“If you would, please.”

********

As William set off to his office he almost ignored the figure hidden in the dark shadows of the booth behind where he himself had been sitting, but something suddenly registered in his brain. He abruptly stopped walking and half-turned his body, twisting his neck to enable himself to check the booth out quickly so he didn’t miss any one or thing inside to escape notice. But his educated guess was to prove to be a wasted effort. The fat man had been following in his footsteps from the moment William had passed the booth, and as William turned his body in the direction of the booth, the fat man neatly passed behind William’s half-twisted body and stealthily moved forward to the exit door at the far end of the room. Seeing nothing suspicious in the booth, William turned back just in time to see the exit door at the far end of the room fall back into place. William shook his head and continued on his mission.

********

With William gone from the booth, Martin leant over to Joseph and spoke quietly.          
“What is going on, Joseph? Are you getting more visions?”
“Something like that.  I don’t really understand it, but I can’t help feeling that Robert is going to stir up a hornet’s nest.”
“What makes you think that, Joseph?” Mary whispered.
“The fact that the professor’s computer was bugged. Or, at least, the professor and his brother were both concerned that it was. Remember they both told us in their own way that they had received a warning from one of their fellow researchers that it was more than possible that the computer may be bugged. And more importantly, the devices that were fitted to William;s car were bugs to hear anything we said in conversation on the way to the farm, or where-ever they thought we were going. We may have been giving away our secrets ever since we arrived in the village because we really have no idea who can be trusted, and who may be using us for their own purposes. Using the same philosophy, we can’t guarantee ourselves that we have used what we have found for the right purpose. Remember, we had no real idea what we came to locate and collect had such a deadly following … I will tell you more later, here comes William.”

********

“Here you go, Joseph.” William advised as he handed Joseph a small scrap of paper, and Joseph immediately began entering the number given into his phone.

*******

“Laurie, it’s Joseph … yes … we are fine, thank you.”  Joseph paused momentarily.  “Laurie, I don’t mean to alarm you, but I would suggest that you make certain that you lock up as tight as you can and sleep with one ear open.  It is unlikely that anything will happen, but I just have a funny feeling that something is brewing as a result of our visit, and in particular what Robert is investigating for us. I just want to make sure that the two of you are safe. Is that so? Well, I hope you are right, but please take no risks. There is one adversary that really worries me, and my senses warn me that he is nearby. My biggest concern is that he may try to use Malena to temper Robert’s findings, and we may not have the luxury of being able to work efficiently without all of the information Robert comes up with. Yes, alright, but please be very careful. We will see you in the morning. Goodnight, Laurie.”

********

“What did he say?” Mary enquired as Joseph hung up.
“He thanked me for being concerned about him and Malena, however his two dogs would warn him if anybody was around – then chew them up like scooby snacks.” Joseph laughed.
“I didn’t know he had dog’s.” Mary replied. “They didn’t make their presence felt when we arrived at the house.”
“No, but they may have been well trained. Perhaps Laurie is a dog whisperer. He was expecting us so he may have locked them up after telling them that he had friends about to arrive.”
“Do you really think that someone will go there tonight?  Nobody knew what happened at the farm outside of us.”
Joseph looked at his watch as he spoke, “I really do not know,” he admitted, “but I certainly hope not. There’s nothing more that we can do tonight.” Joseph caught a smile on Mary’s face and added, “Except for Mary finishing off the diary. The smile fell so quickly from Mary’s face that it was a wonder to her that nobody heard it hit the floor.   “So we may as well all get a good night’s sleep.  Goodnight, William.
William was about to mention that he had thought that there had been somebody sitting in the next booth, but he quickly realised that he hadn’t actually seen anything other than the door closing at the far end of the room. He had no idea who had passed through it. ‘It could have been anybody‘. ‘he thought, ‘After all there are still punters in the room.’ So he dismissed the notion from his mind in its entirety. “Goodnight, Joseph. Give me a call if you need me for any reason tomorrow.”
Mary also said goodnight to William as she and Joseph began to head towards their respective rooms, but Martin, however, decided to stay for one more drink.
“Oh!  And, William,” Joseph turned in William’s direction just before he left the room, “something that you might be interested in – Laurie was expecting us when we arrived unannounced, and he already had Robert on the computer waiting for us … and he too had a vision to be told, but it was nothing like yours. I just thought that you may like to know.”
As Joseph turned and continued on his way to his room, William felt a slight pang in his heart. He now knew for certain that the time was coming.  Laurie was not increasing his power.  The guardians knew that he, William, was dying, and they needed to ensure that they had a host that they could use until his son returned to the village and took over. Either that, or the guardians were covering all angles to ensure that the Punjaniti would be destroyed.  Whichever, he felt relieved in his own mind that he was again in tune with things.  He smiled as he walked over to his private bar and poured two large drinks for Martin and himself before returning to the booth.

********

As they approached Mary’s room, Joseph reached out and took Mary’s hand in his and spun her around to face him.  Her lip was pouting and her eyes refused to face his, preferring to stare at the floor. “If you wish, I’ll take notes while you decipher.”  Mary’s face lit up and her eyes sparkled as she agreed that would be wonderful.  And she knew that it would be.

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Episode 72

Fifteen minutes after leaving the farm, following a quick stop at the hotel where only Joseph alighted to collect something from his room, the headlights of William’s Daimler hit the sign indicating that they had found ‘The Mews‘.  All five got out of the car; the cramped conditions making the three back seat passengers more than glad that the journey, if only temporarily, had come to a halt.
  Phew!”  Harvey exclaimed.  “I didn’t realize that three people could be so close together for so long without being physically joined at the hips.  I really must go on a diet.”
  “Never mind, Harvey, we could be here for a while, so you will have a chance to stretch your legs,” Joseph remarked as he led the way through the gate and along the rose lined path to the front door.  He was about to knock when the porch light came on and the door opened to reveal Laurie’s niece Malena.
  “Come on in.  He’s been expecting you,” she smiled sweetly as she stepped back in the hallway to let everybody pass before locking the door behind her.  
  Nobody in the group had any doubts that she was telling anything else but the truth as they all made their way to a large lounge room where Laurie was sitting in front of a computer.  He got up as they entered, shaking everybody’s hands, welcoming them to his home, and offering tea and coffee all round.  An offer accepted gratefully by all of them.   Malena took their orders and went out to the kitchen.
  “Please, everybody.  Take a seat.”  Laurie offered,  “Make yourself at home.  Joseph, did things not go to plan?”
  “They did not exceed expectations.”  Joseph replied.  “We closed a door, but we are still at loggerheads with the Punjanini.”
  “You must get along well with Arkerious, Joseph.  You both are very sparing with your replies. and information.”  Laurie noted with a small chuckle.  “You did battle with Rangor tonight, did you not?”
  “Yes, that we did. that.”  Joseph replied with a cheeky grin on his face as he spoke.
  “And did you defeat him?”
  “Well, not exactly.  We simply closed a door.  But that was all we had expected to do,  If we had done more it would have been unexpected.”
  “What do you mean, Joseph?”  Martin asked in disbelief, “We left his carcass hanging on the wall.  How could we have not defeated him?”
  “Yes,  Joseph … you  never answered my question back at the farm.”  Mary piped in, “I asked you if it was really all over and you never answered my question.”
    “Ah, that was when the mystery witch was being revealed as being Harvey,  He took everybody;s attention away from their other thoughts I should imagine.”
  Mary looked at Joseph and accepted his reply … still, she had her reservations.  “Alright,, you have me there, Joseph, but can you please explain just what did take place with Rangor.”
  “Certainly.  I had an unexpected meeting with Arkerious this afternoon while I was meditating and I never got the chance to speak to any of you.  And judging by what we found in our car it was just as well we didn’t because we have no idea who planted the listening devices.  Anyway, what Arkerious and his fellow guardians all acknowledged was that Rangor was capable of cloning himself – and they were fairly certain that is what he has done, but they had no way of knowing which one would come to the farm.   There were some facts that couldn’t be verified; things such as the current location of the statue, and whether or not Rangor knew were it was.  But we can surmise what took place. and are pretty certain that it was the proxy that came to the farm.  Arkerious believes that the Punjaniti was expecting the possibility of the statue not being at the farm.  And he may have also suspected the transfer station at the farm may have been compromised.  No matter what we have been told, whatever was going to happen tonight, it was only a test run.  The real  action was to occur tomorrow night – tonight had only been a test run, so it didn’t matter quite so much if things went wrong tonight, but I doubt that things would have finished the way they did if we hadn’t arrived on scene … and certainly not ending the way it did had we had not come prepared.”
  “So the version of Rangor that we faced was not the real thing?”  Martin exclaimed,  “Is this why we were able to defeat him?  Did he not have enough power because he was only a proxy?  But how did we do it?  All we had were the mirrors, and we were lucky the way they broke up; a million individual shards of glass striking him all at the same time,!  I’ll bet you anything you like that that couldn’t be arranged to  happen.  It was just pure luck that we survived. then? “
  “I am afraid you would lose your bet, Martin.”  Joseph retorted with a huge grin on his face.,  “The entire structure of each of the mirrors was precisely handmade to do what they did,  Each individual mirror was meticulously designed and constructed  They are made of a combination of electro-plasma and nano technology, some elements I could never pronounce and handcrafted by some extremely savvy other-world experts in defence.   The mirrors were built to absorb the power from Rangor every time he attacked,.  Every time Rangor released power into the room, each mirror, and all of the broken pieces of glass on the plates placed around  the room, would absorb the power and that would cause the glass to reassemble its structure into smaller pieces before deflecting the unused power back into the room directed exclusively at Rangor.   Once the mirrors reached a pre-set saturation point they were programmed to release themselves, and their stored power, directly into Rangor.  There were elements in the mirrors that, to make it simple, super-glued the proxy to the porthole, thus making the proxy useless to Rangor, and permanently blocking the  portal.   The grotesque image on the wall will have changed within the next forty eight hours; the chemicals in the glass will cause the entire image to absorb itself into the wall of both the house and the transfer portal.  That particular portal will never be able to be reused, but mind you I have no idea what will happen should they try to renovate that wall, or even demolish the house itself, for that matter.
  Unfortunately, however, the guardians are reasonably certain that Rangor either has, or can manufacture, a new portal for tomorrow night   We won’t know anything for certain until tomorrow night … and we have to work out where it is going to happen before then,  So we have  to be extremely careful in what we do next, and be wary of virtually everybody.  There is a new script being written , and, although we may be key players in this story that is unfolding, I don’t think that we will receive a script to keep us in the loop.  We will have to wing it … and get it right every time.”
  “Are you saying there were aliens involved in this now, Joseph.  Beings from another planet?”  A perplexed Martin asked,  “May God help us all.  This whole thing is getting out of hand.”
  “So the battle is still on.” Laurie remarked with a bouncy, positive and slightly excited voice, totally ignoring Martin’s concerns, ” Well then, what can I do for you all?”  
  “I understand that you are a bit of an expert on computers here in the village, especially when it involves the internet.”  Joseph replied.
   “I wouldn’t call myself an expert.  My son helps me a lot when I get stuck.  Now, he is an expert.  Computer Intelligence is his trade in the navy.  Any thing that you need to know I can ask him on the spot.  I have arranged for him to be on standby and we have a video link already tied up.  There he is on the screen.”  Laurie turned to the screen and spoke into a small microphone, “Robert, say hello to some friends of mine.”
  The face on the screen was that of an impressive looking young man somewhere in his late twenties or early thirties.  He smiled and gave a small wave.  “Hi!  I’m pleased to meet you all.  Dad said that you had a few questions that I may be able to help you with.”
  Joseph shook his head in amazement.  Despite all that had happened, he found that he was still having some degree of difficulty coming to terms with these continuous seemingly pre-ordained situations.   He was starting to feel like he was in a movie where he was the only cast member who didn’t have a script, and began to understand how Jim Carey’s character was feeling when he began to realise he was the sole focus of a scripted reality show in ‘The Truman Show’ which he genuinely took to be reality.  Joseph  was beginning to wish that eventually something would happen to them that nobody already seemed to know was going to happen. 
  “We are pleased to meet you too, Robert, and yes, we do have a few questions.” 
   Laurie indicated for Joseph to sit at the seat in front of the computer which he did with some trepidation.  Although Joseph worked daily with computers, he felt a little bit intimidated sitting at the desk with all of the equipment that Laurie had assembled there.  Immediately in front of him was a huge thirty six inch high definition monitor with a web-cam sitting on top of it.   Scattered in various areas around the desk were the computer located in a tower, the keyboard; speakers; a scanner, three printers, a digital camera, various headphones and microphones all plugged into an apparatus that Joseph did not recognise which was also connected to the computer tower, along with two mobile phones and an ancient sixties landline connection, and several peripherals that Joseph did not recognize.
  “My name is Joseph,” he continued, “and the others, if you can see them, are Mary, Martin, Raji and Harvey.”  They all waved on cue.
  “Yes.  I can see them all right.   Hi, everyone … Hello, Harvey.  Now, what I can do for you, Joseph?”
  “Robert, we need some information regarding tracing internet interception.  Is there any way that you can trace if there is a bug on someone’s computer, and if there is, can you work out who is tracing it without making them suspicious?”
  “It’s possible.  Is it a tower or a laptop?”
  “Laptop.”
  “Do you have it handy?”
  Joseph reached down and picked up the computer that he had collected from the hotel and displayed it to the web-cam
  “Okay.   Now, do you know much about computers?”
  “I know how to despise them when they don’t wish to co-operate.”  Joseph admitted.
  “In that case, please put Dad on so that I can get him to set a few things up for me.”
  Joseph duly got up and moved out of the seat allowing Laurie to take his place just as Malena entered the room with the hot drinks.
  She walked over to Joseph and handed him his drink with a smile, then moved on to serve the others, ever so gently brushing herself against him as she passed.  Mary did not fail to observe the subtle movement, and exchanged her cheerful expression for a much darker mood.  Joseph, however, was so distracted by what Laurie was doing he had failed to notice Malena’s flirttion, far less Malena’s reaction.

********

Laurie and Robert exchanged words for several moments as Robert instructed him to do a range of things to the laptop including running a number of programs and then connecting the laptop to a small grey box on the table that had several cables running out of the back.  When they had finished Robert asked Laurie to put Joseph back on.
  Once Joseph was seated, Robert asked for his patience for just another minute while he ran some quick tests.  Finally, he spoke again, “I am able to download everything that is on the computer and I can have it analysed in a couple of hours.  The trace will take a bit longer and I will lose my access to my unit’s computer about the same time.  I should have your answer ready about seven thirty a.m. tomorrow, your time.  Would that be soon enough?”
  “Yes, that would be fine.  Also, could you do me one more favour?”
  “Certainly, what is it?”
  “Raji, what is the name of that professor that you made contact with, and his website?”
   Raji reached into his pocket and pulled out a small tattered notebook, which he thumbed through until he found what he was looking for, then called out the information that Joseph had requested, “Professor Robinson of the Philadelphia Private Museum.”
  “That’s the one in the States is it?” Robert asked.
  “Actually, no … It’s somewhere outside London, I believe.”  Raji advised.
  “Did you hear that?” Joseph asked, intrigued with the revelation.  There was something in his mind now regarding Professor Robinson; something that began to connect the dots in the ever growing map of events his already overcrowded mind was creating, but he could not retrieve anything from his mind with the exception there was a connection there somewhere.
  “Got it,”  Robert replied.
  “Could you just have a quick look at that site for me please.”
  “Anything in particular I should look for?”
  “Excuse me for a moment, Rpbert?
  Joseph got out of the chair and asked Laurie to step away from the screen for a minute, and once Joseph felt that they couldn’t be seen or heard by Robert, he stopped.
  Does your son know about your involvement in the supernatural?”
  “Oh yes!  Most certainly!  He is gifted too you know.  He’s next in line to take my place when I’m gone.”
  “And he can be trusted to be discreet in his investigations?”
  Laurie stiffened a little bit at the suggestion that his son could be anything but discreet.  “My son is highly regarded in his work by his fellow workers – and his superiors – and by Parliament itself.  He has been given special recommendations by no less a person than the Prime Minister, and the leaders of several of our allied countries as well.”
  “Please don’t get yourself worked up, Laurie.  I meant no offence.  This thing that we are dealing with has made me suspicious of a lot more people than I would ever have imagined that I could have doubted.  And, the person who has gotten hold of the statue that I am after may turn out to be the most menacing enemy that I have encountered to date, because he arranges his own killings, he does not call up the Punjaniti.   And that makes him dangerous because he can make an instant decision on everything he does without being answerable to anybody.  We believe everything he is doing is purely for self interest.  The only advantage that we have is that he remains unaware that we know he has the statue,  and we don’t want him to become aware that we think that way.  Our future may rest in the trust that is placed in you and your son this very night, … and there is every chance that there is a bug in the laptop which could backfire on us in our investigations .”
  Laurie seemed to accept what was said and shook his head in agreement.  “My son can be trusted completely,” he replied softly. “I am sorry if I misinterpreted what you asked.”
  “That is fine, Laurie.  I am fairly certain that this will test us all before it is over.”  Joseph offered his hand and Laurie took it and both men shook hands in a unique bonding.
  Joseph then walked back to the desk and resumed his seat.
  “Sorry to take so long, Robert.  Please do the check on the computer first.  When that is completed, then go to the professor’s site.  If my assumptions are correct then you will know what to look for.  I won’t hold you up any longer and I look forward to seeing you in the morning.  Thank you.”
  “No problems.  See you in the morning … Goodnight, Dad.”
  “Night, Son.”  Laurie called out as he reached forward and turned the computer off. 
  The screen went blank and Joseph got out of the chair.  “There’s not a lot more that we can do tonight”, he stated, “so we may as well get a good night’s rest. before an early start and a possible long day.
  As a result of Joseph’s words those that still had liquid in their cups quickly finished off the contents and rose to their feet.  But before they could move too far Laurie asked them all to remain in their seats for a moment.
  “Ah, there is something that you all must know before you leave according to Arkerious.  And that includes you, Joseph.”  Laurie insisted.  Joseph was surprised by Laurie’s request, but obeyed and went to sit in the large lounge, which, at that very second was unoccupied, but before he had settled in, he found himself seated, albeit locked, between Malena and Mary.  He couldn’t understand the dark looks that the girls gave each other, but something made him feel glad that Rosetta was not here as well, “But before I start, does any one want another hot drink?” Laurie asked. “This may take a little while.”
  Orders for tea and hot cocoa were given and Malena got up tp prepare the drinks.  And as she did, Mary unexpectedly began nudging Joseph with her shoulder.  When he turned to face her, she tried her best to get him to move along to where Malena had been sitting so that Mary would occupy the middle seat, and Malena, when she returned, would have to sit beside her.  But before she got the message across, Malena had returned to the room and, smiling sweetly, asked Mary if she would mind helping her in the kitchen to save a little time.  Mary felt trapped, and not wanting to make a fuss, weakly agreed and left the room with her.
  “Ah, it’s good to see the ladies are getting along.”  Laurie remarked innocently.
  “Yes,” Joseph replied, still a little uncertain about the undercurrents of hostility that he had sensed from them both.  ‘Must be a woman’s thing,’ he thought innocently.  “Laurie, that time that your son indicated won’t be too early for you will it?”
  “To bed with the owls and up with the roosters.  That’s the way it is with me, laddie.  No!  Don’t worry about me losing my beauty sleep,” he laughed.  “It will be fine with me.  You can come for breakfast if you like.”
   “I might take you up on that.  Only there will only be the three of us.  There will be no need for Raji and Harvey to be involved at the moment, but I will need their help a bit later in the day … if that is all right with you two?”
  “I will be there when you want me,” Harvey offered.
  “And so will I,” Raji chipped in.
  “Good.  I will call you as soon as I am ready.  Then,”  Joseph said, turning to face William again,  “we will be pleased to take you up on the offer of breakfast.  Thank you, Laurie.
   The conversation somehow turned to the weather until the girls arrived back with steaming mugs.   They handed them around, Malena ensuring that she had Joseph’s drink,in her hand  giving it to him as she sat down beside him, and sitting so close to him their legs were touching, and Mary was surprised nobody was staring at the steam she knew was coming out of her ears as Laurie began his story.

********“

I had a vision earlier tonight.”  Laurie began after everybody settled down with their hot drink,  “It was not entirely clear.  It seemed to be filtered.  It was as if I was not to be witness to everything that happened, but to see enough to tell you about something that may be important to you.  In my vision I saw witches just before they entered the farmhouse at Forster’s Farm.  The vision suddenly jumped to the four of you also entering the room and attempting to break some mirrors, then hiding behind them.  Actually, there are five of you, aren’t there?  Still, I only saw four of you.  I didn’t see you in the vision, Harvey, for some reason.  Well, I know now that you were the witch, but in my vision that was not revealed to me.  The next thing that I saw was flames attacking and destroying, all of the witches in the room with one exception.  This one remained blurred in my vision, but he, or she, walked over to your group and was embraced by the four of you.   That’s where the vision stopped.  I can’t explain it, nor do I feel that I need to.  The important thing is that all the witches in the village now seem to have been destroyed.  It seems rather sad for their lives to end this way and their loved ones will be hard done by.  They have not only been lost by their husbands, wives or partners without their loved ones knowing what happened to them, but they cannot claim on the deceased’s insurances because there are no bodies to prove the deaths.  A deserted wife’s pension is probably the best that some can expect, and a half-hearted hope for a reunion with their loved ones is all that they have to live for.
  Anyway, what will be will be,” he sighed.  “The reason for my story, however, concerns young Jamie Hudson.  Jamie was an impetuous loner who longed for a better life than living here in the village.  He was never really into devil worship and witchcraft, but when he got the opportunity to join the witches, he jumped at the chance.  He joined up on the belief that he would get some magical powers that he could use to his own advantage.  He thought that it would enable him to get himself a good job and lots of money and things.
  Jamie came to me the morning after the night of the long light.  He was scared.  He knew of my reputation and had come to me for my guidance.  He no longer had any faith in the witches, and as everybody had been wearing their hoods at the time, he had no idea who had died and who had lived, so he felt that he had no one to talk to.   He was fearful that if he went to a house, and the husband had not returned, he would confront a worried woman who would question him about the previous night’s events, and he would panic and confess everything that he knew.  Afterwards, when he had finished telling me about the things that he had witnessed, I advised him to leave the village without leaving a forwarding address.  But I told him to let me know when he found a permanent address and I would keep in touch with him and advise him when he could return safely to the village.  And as far as I know, that’s what he did.
  In his confession to me, he told me exactly what had happened that night that the strange lights were seen at Forster’s farm – well, perhaps not everything, but everything that young Jamie witnessed.  He told me that the Grand Wizard had had his spies checking on the farm ever since the professor’s arrival, and had discovered the existence of a knife that was encrusted with jewels.  The wizard said that he had been getting visions from Lucifer in his dreams for the past week or two.  He said that the Devil had promised him, and his followers, great wealth and power if they followed his instructions.  All they had to do was enter the farmhouse on a certain night of the moon and create a circle in the lounge room.   Then they were to place the sword, and something else, in the middle of the circle and recite a series of words.  It was stressed to the coven that the correct pronunciation of the words was essential and they were all supplied with a recording of the chant.  The Wizard had said that for some reason he could never see the other item in his visions clearly, so it mustn’t be too important and they probably wouldn’t need it.
  When they arrived at the farm that night they had planned to knock on the door and they would then trick whoever answered them into coming outside and then overpower them and bind them with ropes.  They figured that once they got one out of the way the other would be easy to overcome.
  However, when they arrived at the farm, both the professor and his assistant had gone to the barn, so the witches entered the house to search for the sword, leaving Jamie outside on guard.  He was to come inside once he had seen the professor returning and a trap would be set.   Jamie waited patiently in the dark.  Eventually he saw two men leaving the barn door. The moon was bright that night, and just before he rushed back inside, he saw somebody moving between the trees.  He waited and he watched.
   One of the returning men suddenly fell down, and as the other stopped and reached down to help his fallen companion, out of nowhere a shot could be heard in the still night air.  Only it was a strange sort of shot.   More like a thump sound, was how he described the noise that it made, in fact so close did it feel that Jamie actually jumped when he heard it.
  The man that had been reaching down to help his fallen comrade also fell to the ground.  Then the first man to have fallen got himself up and tried to help the other one, but it appeared that he couldn’t, and he started running to the house.  As soon as he started coming Jamie ran inside to warn the others that someone was coming.  But not before he saw the man in the shadows come out into the light and walk over to the fallen man.
  Inside the house ,to Jamie’s surprise, he found the witches walking slowly in a wide circle; walking around three gagged and bound naked bodies that lay on the floor.   Jamie did not know why they were tied up, but he knew who they were.   He recognized them as tourists that had arrived in the village that morning and had been befriended by the Grand Wizard, who had invited them around that night to witness the event.  The Wizard had told them that they had a chance to see some real witches at work and they jumped at the offer.   Jamie realized now that it had been a trick to get some sacrifices, but before that moment Jamie had never believed they would go that far.  He wasn’t in the coven when our Malena was attacked several years ago, and was naïve enough to believe that the talk of sacrifices was just that – talk.
  The Wizard motioned to two of the witches to deal with the man who was coming, while he continued with the ritual.  ‘It was too late to worry about the other man”, he had told them, ‘Our lord was coming.  He would arrive any minute now.  Just deal with the one that is coming”.  And just seconds later the man walked in the door, and was overpowered.  At the exact same minute, the Wizard struck the first blow into one of the two females.  It is totally unbelievable to think that the Grand Wizard, or anybody else in that room, would have expected the carnage that was to follow.
  A bluish smoke came pouring into the room from the wall and sparks began crackling through the air, and then the most evil face that Jamie had ever seen in his short life appeared on the wall.   The face grew bigger, occupying a larger space in the room … and as it did arms and a torso also appeared.   One hand reached down to take the sword from the Wizard, when it suddenly stopped and looked around. 
  It asked something of the Wizard that Jamie did not comprehend.  The Wizard simply shrugged in a pathetic apology and the creature roared again,only this time it reeked of uncontrollable anger.
  To put it in Jamie’s words, the creature went ballistic and the room exploded into a violent eruption of lightning bolts hurtling in all directions throughout the room.   There was pandemonium as the bolts struck some of the witches, exploding in their bodies, and setting their clothes on fire.  The horror that took place in front of Jamie;s eyes seemed to go on forever in his mind, what with the screaming, the burning remains of the witches, and the roaring of the creature, but the whole thing probably took only minutes.
  By the time that Jamie and a few others found their feet and ran for the door, those that had been struck down were lying over the top of the three bound and gagged victims.   The creature that had come from the wall gave a final scream then released a stream of energy so powerful into the pile of bodies that the entire house lit up.  Jamie instinctively looked behind him and saw it retracting into the wall.  As it pulled back, a red streak could be seen running down the back of the wall.
  Jamie ran outside as fast as his legs could carry him and he swears that before he got out of the house, he could feel the floorboards vibrating beneath him.  He said the same sensation could be felt on the ground outside.  It was as if he was being followed from beneath the ground.  And when he stopped for a second to check his bearings, an explosion of light spiralled upwards from the ground beside him almost blinding him, and separating him from the others.  He was certain that he was either going to die, or faint, but something deep within him got him motivated again, and he never stopped running until he reached my house,
  However instead of knocking on the door, he hid in my car, which I never lock, and stayed there until morning light broke, then still covered in a lather of sweat and his eyes still bulging from the fear that still surrounded his young mind, and the horror that he had witnessed, Jamie finally came to my front door to tell me his story.
  “Well that certainly explains some of things that we have come across.”  Joseph stated, but not everything!  There were drawings on the walls and a crucifix and a mirror in the front entrance.   Did the witches do that?”
  “Ah!” Laurie shyly confessed.  “I put the crucifix and mirror there.  But I am afraid that it was nothing sinister.  I just did it to appease the locals who were a bit concerned about events when we visited the farm the following day.  I told them that it should keep away any evil spirits that may be hanging around.  It seemed to make them happy enough, though I doubt that it achieved any other worthwhile purpose.”
  “How disappointing.” Mary exclaimed.  She had been so sure that it had served a sinister purpose.
  “What about the drawings on the walls?  What were they supposed to communicate?”
  “I am sorry, but I have absolutely no idea at all,  I thought that they were strange, but I hadn’t been to the farm for years before that day.  I have no idea how long they have  been there.”
  “It may have been local kids,” Malena chipped in.  “There is not much graffiti in the village, but the strange events that preceded their appearance may have inspired one or two budding artists to make a start in the art world.”
  “Possibly.  You have not heard from this Jamie since, Laurie?”  Joseph asked.”
  “Nary a word.”  Laurie replied with a shrug of his shoulders.
  “Well, let’s hope for everybody’s sake that there are no more witches left.” Joseph remarked.    “We may not be able to stop Rangor from entering, but we can certainly make it hard for him by not making the tools that he needs, available to him.  From what I am beginning to understand about today’s Punjani, they may not want the Punjaniti to enter this world either.   If they are as wealthy and as powerful as Raji indicated, then I doubt very much that they would want to give it all up to serve a god as pure servants.   In fact I think that the Punjani would also be aware that Rangor would have no need of them at all once he had entered our world.  It’s either going to totally destroy the world as we know it now, or we will be living in subservience to it.  Whichever, I would not like to be here on this planet if he does arrive.”

 ********

There was a moment’s reflective thinking amongst the group before Joseph advised that it was time for them to leave.  He would see Laurie and Malena in the morning and everybody thanked them for the night’s hospitality.  On the way back they dropped Raji and Harvey off and then parked the car back at the front of the hotel where William was waiting. 
  “Everything go as planned?”  William asked, his face showing signs of grave concern..
  “It certainly did, my friend.” Martin replied jovially.  “I thought that your guardian friends would have told you that.”
  “What they told me was nothing less than amazing.  Come inside and I will tell you over a drink.” 
  “Sounds good to me.”  Martin admitted and walked in to the hotel without waiting for the others, “Ive been sober far too long.”
  Joseph and Mary had other ideas for the remainder of the night, but they felt that they should know anything that William might have to tell them, so reluctantly they too accepted his offer and followed William as he led the small group to a booth at the far end of the room.
  And as they made their way between the crowded tables they barely noticed the fat figure, wearing a stunning silver bracelet, that occupied the booth prior to theirs, but he certainly had noticed them.  While they were seating themselves he had reached down to his briefcase and extracted a small radio.   His short podgy fingers, more dexterous than they appeared, delicately inserted the plug from one end of a small cord, into his ears, and the other end into the radio.  Then he began slowly twisting the dials on the minuscule radio until he got the reception that he was after.  Once finished, he withdrew into the darkest part of the half-lit booth and settled back for however long it would take for William’s story to unfold.

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Episode 71

Martin was the first by the stretch of a long leg to take the risk, while Joseph managed to get back on his feet just as Martin began a couple of stretching exercises before extracting and igniting the torch on his smart phone, shining it’s strong light around the room until he found the light switch and turned it on.  The ordeal the small group of five had undergone had deeply entrenched memories and horrors into their memory banks that would last a lifetime, but as light was returned to the room they were individually pleased that the damage to their mind was not about to be rekindled in any force whatsoever; The blackened areas where the witches had once stood – and the wall mounted abstract version of Rangor, were the only reminders of what had just happened.
   “We’ve done it.  It’s gone,” Martin called out playfully.  “We’ve beaten it.”  And, with his torch still in his hand, Martin began doing a little jig.  Seeing nothing was going to happen to him, Mary and Raji each removed the remnants of the frame from where it had still been in a position of false security over their respective bodies and got up and joined him on the make shift dance floor.  Joseph, however, gave his full attention to the remnants of their adversary.  Mary, her eyes swollen with tears of exhaustion and joy, stopped dancing and moved in closer to Joseph when she realised what he was doing and, holding him tight, whispered in his ear.  “Is this it, Joseph?  Is it all over?”
  Joseph wrapped his arms around her to give her comfort and replied softly, “Not quiet.”
  “Well, in that case, I think it is time that we got out of here,” A strangely familiar voice announced and Mary, Martin and Raji suddenly remembered the hooded witch and turned around in suspicion.
  “It is one of the witches.”  Raji exclaimed in horror as he reached for his gun.
  “My god,” Martin exclaimed, “I had forgotten about him.  What do we do with him?”
  Joseph laughed as he spoke, “Why, this is Mary’s friend.  Perhaps we should follow his advice?”
  “My friend?”  Mary repeated in surprise, “What are you talking about, Joseph?
  Joseph turned to face the cloaked figure.  “Thank you for coming, and thank you for your help.  I wasn’t sure that you would make it.  It was very much appreciated; however, I think that you will have to expose yourself before this lot go crazy.  Our friend, Raji here, may just be a little trigger happy at the moment.”
  The cloaked figure turned away from them and slowly, teasingly, pulled the hood off his head.   When he finished he turned back to face them, smiling at the look of amazement on their faces.
  “Harvey!” Mary exclaimed in surprise.  “What are you doing here?”
  “William indicated that you may need some help.  He gave me a white sheet and a hood and told me where to hide in the woods.  Once it began to grow dark I was to sneak in the backdoor of the farmhouse, which would be unlocked, and hide until the witches entered the room – then position myself near the light switch and turn it off as soon as Joseph gave a signal.  William was right when he said that they wouldn’t notice me, but I sure had no idea when the signal would be given.  William had told me to listen to Joseph’s whispers and play it by ear.  He said it wouldn’t be hard to follow events.  Well, that wasn’t quite what I thought in the beginning; I was getting worried when you didn’t seem to be going to arrive.  I must say, you cut it very fine.  Though, mind you, things were at their worst when the witches first came into the room, because all but one of them were lining themselves up so they were facing each other on either side of the carpet – with the exception of the one standing on the floor facing the middle of the carpet throwing some sort of powder into it.  It was very fortunate that he couldn’t see me, but I still had a problem with the others.  I didn’t think it would have been prudent to try to join the line, or even make an appearance in the room for that matter, because they would most likely notice the increase in their numbers, so I was a bit perplexed until I saw you all finally arrive and take your positions and thanked God that the witches and Rangor had began bickering.  It made it a bit easier for me to move around  without being noticed,
  I had looked for somewhere to hide the minute I had arrived in the room and noticed a closet just up from the hallway entrance.  There was nothing in it but a straw broom so I got inside and waited with the door slightly ajar until I saw all of you arrive.  Seeing as what was going on in the room by that stage everything just fell into place.. 
  “We had to wait that long.  If we arrived too early we were sure to be spotted.”  Joseph replied,  “And then,when we thought that we were safe, we ran into that guard. 
  “But what made you join in? Martin asked, “This whole thing could have turned rather nasty.” 
  “Let’s just say that I am a curious person by nature.  I know that you have some reservations about William, but over the past few years I have come to believe in his judgement and stories, because I have seen the results.  When he said that you were going to need some help in this matter and told me how to do it, I simply accepted his word and did what I could to help.”
  “Well your help is certainly appreciated,” Joseph reiterated, “and you are quite right.  We had better get out of here before someone decides to send the police out again.”
  “The Inspector is not going to appreciate more missing people.” Harvey grinned.  “He doesn’t really want to accept the existence of witches living here in the first place, and to explain this situation to him would end up with us all being locked up in Horsham.
  “What’s at Horsham?”  Mary asked innocently.
  “The local mental hospital.”  Harvey replied with a grin.
   “Oh. Then we definitely need to get out of here.  That’s the last place that I would like to spend a night or two in.”
  The small group began to leave when Joseph suddenly turned back.
  “Shan’t be a moment.”  He stated; a wry smile lit up his face as he began walking straight into the circle where he moved a few things out of the way and then picked up a long shiny, jewel-adorned knife while the others looked on in amazement.
  “Weren’t you taking a risk?”  Martin asked.  Joseph’s actions had made him uncertain whether he was talking to a hero or a madman in the circumstances.
  “The fire is out.”  Joseph reminded him, “The Punjaniti won’t be back here for a while.  He has lost this round.  He will retreat for a while and regroup his resources.  If Raji here goes ahead with his side of the deal then the Punjani may call him back, but I have a feeling that they know that they have lost control, not that ever really had it.  Rangor was only playing them.”
  “May I see it before you give it Raji?”  Mary requested and Joseph dutifully handed it to her. 
  “It’s so beautiful.” Mary sighed. “It’s such a shame that it is used for such terrible reasons.”
  Joseph agreed as Mary handed it back and he passed it on to Raji.
  “Now, let’s get out of here and plan our recovery of the statue.”  Joseph said with unexpected enthusiasm.
  “Do you know where that is too?” Martin asked in astonishment.
  “Not off the top of my head, but I have an idea on who might be able to help us find out who does.”

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Episode 70

“We had better get ready to move.  Quickly turn your mirrors around to face you – then turn yourself around to face the room … and don’t react to Rangor’s appearance in the room,”  The tone in Joseph’s voice was so stern nobody could help but accept the need to follow his instructions,  “Should Rangor notice us as we move in, we will be dead in seconds.”

********

Inside the main room the embers were now so hot the room was fast becoming similar to a furnace, but the witches of Trenthamville were frozen with fear.  Their god had returned; as they had prayed that he would, but once again he was angry … and to each of the witches, their minds instantly returned to the night of the long light and the events that had taken place before their very eyes.  Now, the pleasure of his return no longer held their hearts in joy … now they again feared for their lives, and they thought that to be unfair; they had been willing to do anything for their master.  They would willingly lie down and die for him; metaphorically, but they truly didn’t want to die.  They would have much more preferred to have lived long enough to have enjoyed the rewards he had promised.  However, they knew the odds of a long life, with promised riches gracing their bank accounts, was currently a fifty-fifty chance and possibly reducing by the moment.
  By now the witches were now uncertain what to do.  They had been told to be here tonight, at this very moment in time, to witness his arrival.  They had been told to collect a statue from an unused army warehouse on the old Sullivan farm, but they had found nothing there.  They thought that there had perhaps been a mistake in the location given, but now they were understanding; it was not the location that was the problem … the problem was arriving here and summoning him when they didn’t have the statue.  And, in retrospect they wondered how they could have made the same mistake again?  But they had, and their minds, collectively, were now one in worry about just how they would pay for their error of judgement.

********

Joseph and his crew began to move forward freely under the cover of the noise and disruption caused by the frequent outbursts from Rangor to his motley crew, and their frequent attempts at defending themselves.  But, ironically, Joseph found himself forced to change tact mid-stream as a result of that protection; Rangor’s constant bickering was making it far too easy for him to see them coming, hiding behind the mirror frames.  With every pitiful excuse emitting from the lips of one of the witches lined up on either side of him Rangor would constantly scan his head back and forth across the room to locate the speaker; an action that made it very easy for him to question the mirror frames once they appeared before his eyes.  Joseph knew he had to move fast to retain their advantage.
  “Semi-circle – now!  ‘One’.” Joseph whispered as loud as he could above the raucous din that was taking place around them – calling each step as loud as he safely could in an attempt to ensure the group did not break the semi-circle . 
  “Two.”  The group took one more step.
  “Three.”  Martin – stop!”  Martin froze on the spot
  “The rest of you – ‘Four’ – and stay there’.”  Joseph continued in his whispering as Raji and Mary hesitated for a second, then, to Joseph’s relief, they both stepped forward one step where they remained.  The semi-circle, now created, was located twelve feet from the burning embers; sixteen feet from where Rangor’s body was slowly emerging from the wall, their mirrors facing them, their bodies, for the moment, protected by the frame when Joseph gave his final order, “Now – keep behind the mirror and don’t speak … and don’t peek.  Our lives depend on it.”  And as Joseph looked down the line on his right he noticed a witch had arrived from out of nowhere … and the witch was holding a mirror in the same manner as he and his friends were as he stood one pace in front and to the right of Raji.  Joseph was uncertain what was going on, however the witch did not do anything, but stand still facing the fire, his covered face seemingly staring straight ahead.  Joseph could say or do nothing, so he bit deep into his nerves and did the same thing.

********

Suddenly Rangor could take no more.  “Be quiet you fools!”  Rangor thundered, “I am not your Lucifer.  I – am – the -Punjaniti!!!!  You had your instructions and you verified that you had collected it when you began the chant.  So – where – is – my – statue? ”

********

Total silence suddenly ruled the room.  Rangor had stopped discharging his barrage of fear and intimidation, but the witches had grown too fearful to utter another word in their defence.  And, so, for what seemed a million seconds not a word was spoken by either side.  The seconds ticked by at an agonisingly slow place.  The witches became more afraid by the second; the creature was finding his patience stretched to the limit.  Joseph and his friends were beginning to cramp in their distorted shape behind their frames.  All wished something would start moving again.
  But seconds are a millstone hanging on the threads of silence and fear; something had to give.  Finally it was one of the witches whose scream of regret and apology broke the silence.  He screamed, and immediately dropped to his knees as if in prayer, his face close to the ground in a vain attempt to hide the tears that flowed freely.  “My lord,” he called out.  “I am your servant, my lord.  Please, we have done our best to deliver what you wanted.  But it wasn’t where we were told it would be.”  The tone of a second voice was far more subdued; almost conceding defeat and an empty ending to his life, “We do not know. Mister Punjaniti.”
  Rangor could take no more.  “Be quiet you fools!”  He thundered, “I am not your Lord, either.  I – am – the -Punjaniti!!!!  You had your instructions, and you verified that you had collected it when you began the chant to summon me.  So – where – is – my – statue? ”

********   

At the same time Rangor had once again expressed his anger, an unexpected noise attracted Joseph’s attention.  To his surprise he turned his head to the right just in time to see the witch that had been standing next to Raji suddenly spin around and move quickly towards the back wall.  Joseph wondered what he was up to, but all the witch did was to place the mirror side of the frame against the wall.  Then simply stayed where he was facing the fire; again leaving Joseph in uncertainty of the witch’s motives.

********

Rangor still awaited his reply, but no answer came.  The tension in the room became thicker and thicker.  For whatever reason, Rangor was adamant that he had expected the statue to arrive; for whatever reason; the witches had no answer to provide. 
  The seconds continued to pass by for them like prisoner’s awaiting the guillotine.  The witches were under unbearable terror.  The hour was at hand, and each one was by now expecting the inevitable; guilty as charged!, regardless of the circumstances. 
  “We don’t know, my lord,” a wary, frightened voice stammered, “We really don’t know.  Please forgive us.”
  Rangor was about to explode literally; to destroy the entire room and everybody within it when something happened that froze him on the spot.

********

“I know what happened to the statue, Master.”  A voice shrieked from the back of the room, “These infidels have stolen it, Master.”  And as the voice screamed through the now otherwise silent farmhouse, all eyes turned to the back of the hall as the guard that Joseph had hit with the rock made a grand entrance despite his still cuffed hands locked behind his back; His bloodied face giving him a grotesque appearance as he came staggering out of the dark hallway and into the lit room just behind where Joseph and the others were hiding. 

********

The creature cared not which witches the human at the back of the room was referring to;.  Nor did he comprehend there were people behind the frames.  These things did not interest him.  Rangor simply wanted someone to pay for the frustration these fools were causing him.  They did not have the statue and he doubted very much that they would ever locate it.  They were no longer of any use to him.  It was time for him to break the link.

********  

A second sound attracted Joseph’s ears and in that instant Joseph found himself watching in awe at the actions of the witch who had been resting against the back wall. 

********

It took Rangor less than an instant to formulate his action.

********

As Joseph continued to watch the witch, he suddenly understood what was going to happen.

********

Rangor was ready to begin his reign of destruction as Joseph called his troops to arms.

********

“Now,” Joseph cried out in a loud whisper, “Reveal your mirror and make sure you hold the handles behind the frame, most definitely do not hold them at the side … you’ll most likely lose some fingers, if not your entire hand.” 

********

The unknown witch flicked the switch and turned off the light, leaving the room in complete darkness with the exception of the glow from the fire … and the strange red and blue hue that now surrounded Rangor.

********

The witch that had turned off the light picked up their mirror, turned the frame around so the mirror was facing Rangor, and virtually flew back to their previous position next to, and one step forward,from Raji

********

The first fireball formed within Rangor’s massive head was despatched with force and venom.

********

The foursome spun their splintered mirrors to their front even as Joseph spoke, and ducked behind them as they made their move, ensuring they followed Joseph’s dire warning to the letter. 

********

The lone witch resumed their position in the semi-circle just in time to join forces with Mary’s mirror in catching and deflecting a portion of the power ball Rangor had sent down the room.  The deflected power crisscrossed the room from both sides and both deflections took out one of the witches standing in line on the opposite side of the carpet.  The remainder of the fireball splitting the injured witch in half.

********

The effect that the change of lighting conditions created in the room was incredible.  The reflection of the burning embers and the dancing flames on the broken mirrors that had been meticulously placed around the room gave the impression of thousands of red rubies sparkling endlessly around the otherwise darkened room as Rangor took to his task with aplomb and a single intention; to destroy all that resided within the room.
  Then, as was the case in the disputed attempt on the life of Doris, the nurse in Rosetta’s room, a barrage of bolts of light came screaming out of the fog that surrounded the Punjaniti, only this time they were lethal … and they were indiscriminate in who and where they penetrated. 
  The bolts, smashing into the mirrors, broke the slivers into even smaller and thinner slivers, and collectively the power bursts bounced off the ever increasing slivers with an even greater power.  Some of the uncontrolled power bursts penetrating the skins of several of the unprotected witches; their blood being heated beyond boiling point.  For some, their brains began to explode as they screamed and writhed in agony as they lay on the burning embers until their minds could take no more, and they lapsed into unconsciousness before their eventual death.
  The barrage of heated light increased. The power of the bolts also intensified, and so did the deflections.  The more that was thrown at the mirrors; the more that was spread across the room.  The more it shattered the glass it came in contact with, including the glass in the paper plates and mirrors, the more slivers it created to reflect the projected power  The more power directed at the glass, both in the paper plates and the mirrors, the more power was deflected, and that increasing deflected power also began to attack Rangor.  
  As the group of four and the unidentified witch stood there deflecting the rays, a couple of witches that were still able to move screamed in agony.  Disorientated in the nauseating smoke and smell that was building up in the room they consistently bumped into each other in their panic, eventually both of them lost balance and fell into the burning embers.  ‘Their screams would have a hold on their dreams and nightmares for years to come,‘ Joseph and his friends collectively imagined, but they dared not take their mind off the task at hand … they were fully aware that if they did for but for a second, it could very well be that their own scream may be the last thing that they ever heard.
  The one witch left, other than their unknown sidekick in the line, was the witch that had been dispersing the powder into the embers when Joseph had first arrived in the room, and he was still standing in the middle of the room where he had been feeding the fire.  But his reason for being there was no longer to call up his master; now he was being spasmodically spun around in total disorientation, constantly attempting to dodge the deflecting fireballs that were being hurled at the people with the mirrors and rebounding in his direction, and eventually a thunderbolt bouncing off Raji’s mirror thudded into him, pushing him forwards into the path of a direct blast from the Punjaniti.  The force of the last impact was so severe it caused his entire body to burst open in a wall of flames, and what was left of him fell onto the fembers in a bubbling mess.
  With the witches screams now no longer creating a distraction, every bolt emitting from the wall was directed at the mirrors.  The room began to vibrate as the energy level in it increased to saturation point.  Joseph’s troops could feel the mirrors shuddering in their hands as the handles began coming loose from the frame, and they knew that it was only a matter of time before they could no longer be safe from the bombarding rays.
  Still, they held their ground; each member of the small group hoping that Joseph’s master plan was going to break into action any old tick of the clock … and that thought was more than prominent inside Joseph’s own pounding head.  Because his plan was already in play, but it didn’t seem to be working fast enough … and the life span of their only defensive weapon was fast running out.
  Joseph placed his mind in rapid mode as he searched for inspiration: time was of the essence and he knew that he had to come up with something as fast as humanly possible … or even faster still.  He forced his mind to search his memory of the room as it had appeared to him when they were in the house earlier, before Rangor arrived..  Images began to arrive immediately, and he quickly set out a mental algorithm to analyse each arrival with rapid  efficiency.  It took several seconds before his requirement was met, and Joseph was certain in his mind that he had the solution in hand, but there was one test that had to be undertaken first.
  Joseph looked hard at the current illumination of the room.  The dazzling light that was illuminating the room was a combination of the reflections of the embers coming from the plates spread around the room and the death bolts that the Punjaniti was spewing forth with such intensity ‘it was a wonder, Joseph thought, ‘the glass hadn’t already started falling out of the mirror’, and with that thought in mind something slammed into his head with such force he almost lost control of his defensive weapon, but somehow he managed to retain control and in an instant he had the final step of his plan.  But first he had to make certain that everything would work for them
   “Martin, Raji.”  Joseph called out loud enough for all of his friends to hear his instruction, but, hopefully, not Rangor; not quite yet, “Do what I say, but don’t ask questions.  Move towards each other, but stay in front of me.  I want you to cover me while I check the condition of the glass on my mirror.”  The two men did what was requested of them and Joseph quickly swung his mirror around and began to scan his eyes across the length and breadth of the glass.  The glass was now almost completely fractured, the mirrored surface was now composed of thousands of thick, sharp, glass nails, rather than the flat, single base it had once been, but it was still intact on the frame. Joseph carefully rubbed a single finger across the width of the mirror and he could feel the tiny slivers fractionally move as his finger crossed over them, before they rocked back into place.  Joseph knew that the slivers were hanging in there by a thread; a bit more power and they would be gone forever. “Martin, Raji, Get ready to move back to where you were, but as you move, so will I.  I will move forward to join you in the middle and once I arrive there move in as close as you can so our mirrors are as close as possible to being joined as one.  Mary, I want you to do the same and move as close to Martin as you can, but at an angle so your mirror is still facing Rangor, only aimed at his side – not at his front.  And Witchie Poo, whoever you really are, I want you to close up as well to Raji and do the same thing as Mary, but in the opposite direction.  I can assure you that getting out of here alive will depend on your co-operation.  And, all of you, make sure you are facing the our fearsome friend, and your mirror is covering all noticeable gaps between the mirrors alongside you, because I am about to stir him up … and believe me, all going well, his retaliation will be horrendous.  Alright … lets go.”  And before anybody could say anything Joseph began to move forward.

********

The total movement took far less than two seconds, the exact same amount of time it would take Joseph to antagonise Rangor.  

********

“Is this all that you have, Rangor?”  Joseph called out loudly, in a deliberately sneering tone, “I told Arkerious, I would be wasting my time becoming involved in a skirmish with you.  We should have had our tête-à-tête in the children’s playground.  I am fairly certain that would be a better place for you to show off your imaginary powers.  You are totally useless in real life.”
  “Joseph?”  The voice was questioning; it was painfully obvious that Rangor had been far too busy seeking revenge for his missing statue, than to have questioned who he was punishing.
  “Yes, the one and only, Rangor, your worst nightmare.” Joseph called out as he popped his head out over the top of his mirror and mentally conjured up a blast that appeared to rock Rangor on his knees, but completely unseen by Joseph’s associates, which is exactly what Joseph preferred.

*******

The Punjaniti screamed what appeared to be an obscenity so high pitched and loud that it almost deafened them, and they were glad they had only recognised the infliction of the offending word, and not the word itself.  For they were certain in their own minds that had they understood the word, there was every chance their reaction to it could have so easily led to their demise; every possibility it would have distracted them from keeping up their protection and allowing themselves to be defeated by Rangor.
  Regardless, of their good fortune, however, the world around them was about to go berserk, and Joseph’s next order took them all by such surprise it was a wonder that anybody reacted to it in time, but react they did.

*******

“Everybody!” Joseph screamed out at the top of his voice,  “Drop to your knees. but keep the mirror upright so it is still facing Rangor and your body covered, and hang on as tight to the handles as you humanly can … now!” 

********

Somehow the five defenders simultaneously dropped to their knees, their fingers still tightly gripping the handles on the mirror, their bodies still protected by the frame, and the glass still reflecting Rangor’s evil image.  And as they defended themselves in this new uncomfortable stance Joseph and his friends were deluged by a barrage of bolts as never seen before; Rangor’s anger vented itself tenfold – and the power now being unleashed upon them was so intense they could only pray that they would survive the onslaught, never mind the night.
  The house shook so hard the vintage dust from hundreds of years of gathering in the ceiling could be seen floating in the air; each grain of dust igniting the second it made contact with the rising heat from the fire below, each gram contributing to the noise level like a million tom thumb fireworks blasting in a singular chain.  The mirrors exploded … and the glass finally relinquished its hold on the frame.  Not, however as the large chunks that they had once been as a result of the shattering that Joseph had inflicted on them with his rock, but as the thousands of shining, nail shaped missiles from the scattered plates of glass that they had been magically turned in to by the constant attacks of the Punjaniti.  Missiles that had been set out so precisely positioned and shaped when called upon they all flew menacingly in the direction of the Punjaniti.  Each one of them breaking up into dozens of smaller pieces as the power of the Punjaniti constantly attacked them, causing more and more breakdowns until, finally, more than a million reflecting, lethal, thin bullets from each of the five mirrors slammed into the face on the wall covering the entire face, and turning its nightmarish image into a technicolour Picasso. 
  From somewhere far behind the hideous piece of art now attached permanently to the wall Rangor let forth a horrendous cry of agony and frustration.  So fierce was its volume that the subsequent vibrations finally loosened the handles off the now useless mirrors to the point they came away in the holder’s hands, leaving the now dysfunctional mirror frame precariously balanced against the body of its current possessor.  Suddenly there was another terrific bellow from behind the wall that sent the coldest of shivers through every bone in their bodies; the five mirror frames vibrated for a second or two, then finally succumbed to what had been so violently attacking them for the past few minutes and fell  to the ground.  The entire room suddenly disappeared into total darkness; the house went deadly quiet … and the embers burnt no more.   

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Episode 69

********

Raji had no difficulty in removing the bulbs from the interior light and made his evacuation from the car as requested as soon it passed through the rise at the top of the hill.

********

Mary and Martin continued their journey without interruption, parking the car just prior to entering the road proper when their headlights picked up a small tree and bush lined pathway that ran parallel with the road – then quickly made their way back to the farm on foot.

********

Joseph had been right about the mood of the witches.  He had been convinced that the gun Raji had fired would have kept them at bay for as long as he was in the house, and when Raji and the others left, the witches would have had no further interest in them.  He also had calculated that their coven was so small now that they could not afford to have guards outside.  But he also knew that even if they did leave somebody on guard, eventually the time would come when all of the witches needed to be inside to service the Punjaniti in whatever was required of them… and when that time came there would be no stopping them … gun, or no gun.
  There were but seven of them as they marched into the room, smartly decked out in their white robes that covered them from the neck to the point of their toes, and hoods covering their heads down over their shoulders to protect their identity.  A smile suddenly crossed Joseph’s face when, for some unknown reason, they reminded Joseph of the seven dwarfs from Snow White and half expected them to burst out singing ‘Heigh ho, Heigh ho, it’s off to work we go’, but the way that they moved into position so effortlessly convinced Joseph that their minds were in a trance; ‘Under Rangor’s control perhaps?.’  He noted, grateful that they had not seemed to have noticed the plates of glass placed strategically around the room.  His plan had depended on this to be a fact, and he fervently hoped that the Punjaniti would not notice them either.
  He moved quietly and quickly from his hiding position behind the first two mirrors and crept up the passageway to see if they had posted a guard outside.  When he arrived at the door Joseph was pleased to see the door was partly open which gave him the opportunity to peek outside before attempting to open the door and risk bringing attention to himself; and, to his surprise, they had posted a guard.  Three feet away, a solitary white figure guarded the entrance, their back to the door, their eyes scanning the constantly conflicting light and darkness of the woods; the inconsistency, the rise and fall of light over dark, dark over light, a result of the still rising full moon spilling its brilliance over and through the trees in front of it. 
  ‘Not a good way to start the night.  I hope the rest of the night goes according to plan.  We really don’t have a second plan in the waiting.’  Joseph mumbled to himself as he reached into his coat pocket and retrieved the rock he had used to damage the mirrors then slowly opened the door, at the same time reaching into trousers and extracting a coin.  When the door was completely open Joseph threw the coin at the ancient milk cans to the left of the guard, who turned immediately to the scene of the noise.  Joseph moved with the swiftness of a cat, The brick came down with a sickening thump and the guard remained motionless on the ground, blood pouring down from the wound on his head and onto his face.  Joseph regretted having hit the man with so much force, but he knew it had been a life and death situation, and he preferred being the one who survived.
  “Ssssst!”
  Joseph swung around quickly in the direction of this new sound and saw Raji’s face peering out in the moonlight from the far corner of the farmhouse.  Indicating silence with his fingers to his mouth, Joseph motioned for Raji to join him.  Raji moved quickly over to where Joseph was standing, with Mary and Martin hot on his tail, but stopped so quickly when he saw the bleeding body on the ground they almost ran into him.
  “Who’s this, then?”  Ravi whispered,
  “An orphan, lost on the moors.”  Joseph whispered back, “Said he felt the onset of a migraine.  I suggested he took a nap while it passes.
  “Will he be safe out here on his own?
  “I hope so.
  “I have hand cuffs.”  Raji offered.
  Joseph looked at him and rolled his eyes.  “Yes, of course you have.  Well, let’s tie him up.  That should keep his safe enough for his own good.”
  In a flash Ravi had whipped out the handcuffs, pulled the man’s hands together behind his back and connected them.  “That should hold him,” He whispered,  “Mind you, I am uncertain whether or not I have the key in my possession.”
  “We’ll worry about that later.  In the mean time it’s time for us to take our seats for the opening scene.  Come on … let’s go, but very, very quietly.
  Again Joseph indicated complete silence to the group and motioned for them to follow him.  Slowly, quietly, cautiously, Joseph fully opened the front door, then they made their way up the darkened hallway to where their mirrors lay resting quietly out of immediate sight against the wall.
  The room, where the witches were, however, was brilliantly lit by comparison, preventing them from going any further without running the risk of being seen, but Joseph had positioned the spare mirror before he had gone down to the door so that they could see what was happening in the room without being seen themselves.

********

One witch stood alone from the group at the edge of the middle of the carpet.  Presumably the coven leader, this one faced the burning carpet splattering small pinches of an unknown substance onto the fire; an action causing flames to erupt even higher as the compound hit the glowing embers.  His voice pitched high and low as he spoke and sung in what appeared to the outsiders to be Latin, though not one of the small group knew for sure what language it really was.  It very well could have been the creature’s own private language for all they knew.  The accompanying chanting by the remainder of the witches who stood in in two lines, one each side of the flames, unexpectedly began to get faster and faster to the point it was became frenzied – and suddenly the lone witch’s voice was raised to almost screaming level.  And it was at this point that Joseph noticed the anomaly … there were now more witches in the room than the seven he had counted, and that was impossible.  No one could have come into the room after the first seven without him seeing them, but before he could assess this situation all hell broke out in the room.  A thick smoke began emerging from out of the wall, and accompanying it a smell, so hideous, so repulsive, it collectively turned the stomachs of Joseph’s crew; a stench so vulgar it threatened their capability to carry out their task to the limit.  
  Then the stench was joined by the emerging appearance of the head and shoulders of the half human – half monster image of Rangor, the Punjaniti.
  At first the strange red and green eyes took in entire room.  Several seconds passed without movement.  The witches froze to the spot, their excitement tempered by their fear. Something seemed wrong.  Then the large head began to slowly scan the room.  Left to right, right to left and back again … as if in search of something expected failing to materialize.  Then the bright red and green eyes began to flicker, the eyes began to emit flame, and then the face looked irritated; extremely irritated and a thick, coarse, voice roared through the rooms.  
  “Where is my statue?” the creature demanded, the volume of its voice so loud that the walls reverberated, and the house threatened to collapse.  “Where is my effigy?”

  Rangor had arrived … and, once again, he was angry.

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Episode 68

   “Rangor … is coming here!  Tonight?  My god, we are all in so much danger.”  Raji stated in a startled, panicky way; a fear attached panic from deep within his heart and soul that spread itself quickly to both Mary and Martin.
  “Arkerous assures me that Rangor will arrive in this house within the not too distant future, presumably with the intention of killing us.”  Joseph replied offhandedly,
  “Do you believe him, Joseph?  Do you truly believe that is what he intends to do … kill us?”  Mary asked nervously, unsure what she should say in the circumstances.  “Then why are we still here?  If we leave now, surely we will get away in time?”
  Joseph gave Mary a wry smile as he spoke, “Though Arkerous reluctantly admitted that killing us may not actually be planned, Rangor is certainly expected to take advantage of our appearance and do so.  It is most unlikely that he will have a change of heart and want to start afresh with us. This is why it is imperative that he does not sense our appearance in the house until we are ready for him.  It is our job to stop him.
  Raji dared not even question what Joseph had meant.  Mainly because he did not quite understand what had happened to his two friends in this room, while Joseph seemed to have some kind of knowledge regarding the situation.  As a result Raji was placing all of his trust into Joseph’s guidance and decisions.  Raji certainly had no wish to do something that would jeopardize the outcome of tonight’s events by asking inane questions that even he, himself, would not truly understand.  But, to make matters worse for him, although he had put on a bravado impression that he fully understood the workings of the Punjani and the Punjaniti, Raji was quickly realising his true understanding of his employees, and their god, was zilch.  
  And, together, Raji, Martin and Mary were finally beginning to understand that they really had no understanding of just how dark their world was becoming; at least not judging by Joseph’s current words and actions.  They were all still treating things like it was an arcade game that they were playing; a fantasy where, if they pressed the right buttons, they would win the game, or perhaps it was a page turning book they were reading with a fairy tale ending.  But Joseph was giving them ‘cause for thought’ on the possibility of a happy ending; all three of them were glad that Joseph, at least, had a good idea of what was happening … and a plan to combat it.  But their confidence may have battered and bruised if they were aware that he was flying by the seat of his pants.  Should Joseph have a thought or an idea, he was acting on it immediately without any thought to the consequences.  He was travelling by instinct – and instinct alone … and he knew it.  But he felt safer not divulging his shortcomings to his friends lest they made a collective decision to run for their lives while they still could.  However, they had not seen what Rangor was capable of; they had not seen what Arkerous had revealed to him. The destruction; The mayhem, the complete and unnecessary annihilation of an almost entire life force.  Something that Rangor appeared to have done since time began
  Joseph was convinced that running away would not save them.  Rangor wanted to rid himself of them forever for whatever reason he held dear to his heart … should he have had one, but Joseph wasn’t really concerned why.  He just knew there would be nowhere to hide for the four of them.  In his mind Joseph was being guided by someone or something as yet unknown, and they, and they alone, knew what to expect … and how to deal with it.  He had absolutely no idea whatsoever of the identity of this person or being, yet he had absolute faith in the guidance that they gave him.  But he dared not tell his friends the truth.  He knew that they were in great danger, and the only way to save them was to ensure that they believed in him.  He knew that one mistake by him, or loss of faith in him at the wrong time, could prove to be disastrous for them all.
  “Now,” Joseph requested as he attempted to divert them from their questions, “could everybody please carefully pick up the broken pieces of glass and place them, reflective side up, scattered on the plates. They all look to be roughly the same size, so try and put around roughly the same amount of glass on each plate.  I realise it is a bit of guess work in the first place, but we should have time to correct anomalies and use up any excess glass once all plates have had been at least partially filled.  I will do the first one to guide you the rough pattern you need to follow.  Please do your best to get it right the first time without wasting time.  Most importantly, the plate location has been measured.  It is extremely important that you do not relocate the plate anywhere else or it will not do what it is intended to do.  Move the collected glass to the plate, not the plate to the glass. There are only two dozen plates, so it should not take too long.  Now,” Joseph paused while he reached into his coat pocket and extracted four black, white number dominoes, each bearing a different number ranging between one and four, “take one each and remember your number.”  Mary, Martin and Raji each selected a domino leaving number one in Joseph’s hand.  “Right, we don’t have a lot of time, so we better get cracking.  I’m going to show you the pattern to follow … then we are going to place our markers in the right spot.  Rather than us tripping over each other in our movements we will use these dominoes to guide us.  It is simply a time saver.  There are twenty four plates to be filled spread around the room.  We will each place our dominoes numerically in front of the seventh plate on the right of our starting point which will be number one.  And everybody will work to the right hand side of their own starting point.  Everybody understand?” 
Everybody agreed that they did and Joseph then showed them the pattern they were to
follow: A circle on the rim and a cross in the middle.

********

The dominoes finally in place, the four friends now at their individual starting positions, Martin looked at Joseph, a huge grin covering his face as he began to complete his first task. ‘So, are you certain that this isn’t a birthday party!” He exclaimed with joy in his voice, “It must be to go to all this trouble, but whose?  Is it yours, Mary, perhaps?  No?   Raji … is it yours?  I mean this Magical Mirrors game looks like a load of fun when I reflect on it”
  “It’s nobody’s birthday, Martin.”  Joseph retorted sharply, “and we don’t need dad jokes either.” He added with a defusing grin.  “We really need to finish this and get out of here.”
  “How disappointing … ah well, cest la vie.  You are a hard man, Joseph to deny us our participation in a surprise birthday party for our mystery guest.”
  “There is no birthday party, Martin.”  Joseph snapped tersely,  “There is, however, urgency.  So can we just get on with it?  We really are going to be in a dangerous position if we aren’t out of here in the next ten or so minutes.  This is not a joke that we are playing.  Our lives are in danger!”
  An ashamed look appeared on Martin’s face as he apologised.  “Sorry, Joseph.  This is the most insane case I have ever been involved in and I think the enormity and lunacy is beginning to take its toll.  I mean, take aliens defending the planet and demons running amok throughout it, along with cults and god knows what spasmodically interfering in our lives, and then add witches and a murderous creature who wants to attack the Earth and totally annihilate the inhabitants to the mix … and what do you have?  I’ll tell you – total insanity.  I mean who would believe sane men and women could find themselves involved in such an improbable scenario?  But look what happened to Rosetta and her father … and Raji’s friends.  That was all real, wasn’t it?  Then there was Vittorio, and what you and I saw at the garage, Joseph.  I am sorry, Joseph, my nerves are getting a bit frayed at the edge trying to come to grips with everything we have encountered in the strange bloody little village.  I just need an outlet to let off my fears and frustrations and I do it with bad jokes.”
  “There is nothing to be ashamed about, Martin.  I’ve heard far worse attempts at humour.  You are right, though.  It’s not been a usual weekend in my life either, and I feel sure that both Mary and Raji will give you a similar statement.  But what you said about Rosetta and her father, and Raji’s friends, for that matter, is something we have to accept to be quite true … and it is something our minds will have to accept did happen.  And if we accept that is a real situation, then we have to accept that being here, at this point of time, is putting our lives further at risk.
  But our reason for being here also means that we willing to fight whatever it is that is behind our current situation.  And at the moment, to do so, it is imperative that we place the broken glass on the paper plates … then get the hell out of this house for the moment.
  Martin nodded his agreement, and Mary and Raji voiced their concurrence as the small group immediately began to put in more effort to speed up the task at hand, carefully scattering the sharp fragments onto the paper plates with their fingers as fast as they could.

********

On completion of their task, for but a second or two, Joseph and his co-workers reviewed their work.  Joseph, if the truth was to be known to all, saw it in a different light than the others, and he was more than pleased at what he saw in front of him; half hidden from the casual observer, the plates, spread unobtrusively around the room close to the walls, would not draw attention to themselves in the current conditions.  But for what was expected to happen when Rangor arrived, it was as close to what he had wished for than he had ever imagined could be possible. 
  The others, however, wondered why they had wasted so much time on such an inane task, never mind do it in the first place.  They realised that Joseph had a plan, but what could he implement in a farmhouse full of witches that would justify their strange attempt at craft work, they wondered … but their thoughts only drew a blank. Their curiosity had been getting the better of them, and they had had been bursting at the seams to understand what Joseph’s plan was.  But not one of them had the courage to challenge either Joseph’s sanity, or ask for a reason for what they had done in the room.  They trusted Joseph’s decisions and judgement, though his current eccentric behaviour was forcibly encouraging their individual thoughts to conjure up unrequited acceptance that what they were dealing with went far beyond the normal, and they were beginning to wonder if perhaps they were placing their head in the sand à la Martin’s imaginary birthday party; denying themselves the absolute reality of what they may be facing.  Perhaps, they began to collectively imagine, perhaps the reality of truly accepting the fact that something from the supernatural world had invaded theirs was something that they did have to face.  But could they?
  Then, in a split second, all thoughts in their collective heads disintegrated as a loud hissing noise like gas leaking began spluttering through the quietness of the house.  And just as unexpected, seemingly coming out of the windowless wall, a gust of wind arrived in the room; a gust so strong it threatened to knock the four of them off their feet and into the red hot embers, but somehow they managed to stay upright and safe.  And the surprises continued when the wind abruptly disappeared from the room, the burning embers dropped back to a more subtle temperament, and through the still night air the sound of chanting emerged from somewhere in the woods.
  “The witches, they are back.”  Raji’s voice carried a tone of disappointment at the ineffectiveness of his earlier charade.  “I guess that we never really scared them off.”
  “They were never going to leave.”  Joseph replied, “Listen to the fire.  You can feel its heat increasing.  The Punjaniti is on his way.”       
  Everybody turned their eyes around to face the embers and found themselves surprised to find burning flames were now dancing on the rug roughly six inches above the surface.
  Joseph stood up and addressed the group, “There is something that I have to tell you all, and it is very important.  I have been getting strange thoughts in my brain since early this morning.  Maybe earlier, I can’t be any more specific.  I have tried to dismiss them as simply mind strain and exhaustion due to the events of the past few days.  Now I am beginning to understand them.  As we stand here it becomes clearer and clearer what we must do.  But we don’t have time to discuss it at the moment.  What we really need to do for the moment is get the hell out of here.  So please, place your faith in me and we will get out of this in one piece.”
  “The chosen one,” Mary said with assumed pride.  “Oh, Joseph … I am so pleased that it was you.”
  Joseph smiled shyly as he dismissed her praise and went on.  “Please don’t for a minute think that I am a hero or a martyr, for I am not.  This plan is not mine, but it has been given to me and I think that it will work, but for it to do so, you must do exactly what I ask without question.”
  “I trust you, Joseph.”   Martin replied without hesitation
  “And so do I, Joseph.”  Mary and Raji replied with one voice.
   “Thank you, all of you.  Now we don’t have any time left so I will make this as fast as I can.  The witches are the current power source for the Punjaniti, or so he fimagines.  Rangor assumes the Punjani are no longer needed to do his bidding, or to allow him into this world.  The witches, or what is left of them, are going to provide the entrance that he needs.” 
  As Joseph spoke, the room began to reek of sulphur and other obnoxious odours as the hissing sound increased, and the flames were becoming even more frenzied in their dance of death on the carpet; while outside the house the sound of the chanting grew louder, and closer.  “Our time is growing shorter so we must hurry.”  Joseph continued, “The witches will be coming in here within the next couple of minutes, and they must not find you here.  In their present state of mind they will kill you all without thinking of the consequences.   Mind you, if the Punjaniti arrives before we are ready, then there will be no consequences for them to worry about.  We will all be dead.  I want you three to leave here and make believe that we are all going back to town.  Raji, before Martin starts the engine, I want you to disconnect the interior bulbs, or simply break them if it is quicker, so anybody watching won’t know for certain how many got in the car.  Once he starts the car, I want you to get ready to jump out of the car as soon you pass the end of the house as you go up the hill and over the bump where the road flattens out as it approaches the road.  Once you have gone over the hump they won’t be able to see the car, but they might see the glow of the brake lights so get as close to the main road exit as you can before you stop the car, Martin.  Raji, it will be dark and they won’t see you get out if there is no light on when you open the door.  Make your way back down the hill to where the side of the barn is raised, where your friend was hiding, and hide there until Martin and Mary arrive, looking our for any witches that may be close by so you can double back and warn Mary and Martin.  I expect the witches will all enter the house he minute the car drives over the ridge, so when you feel it is safe enough all of make your way to the end of the house and wait there out of sight keeping one eye out for errant witches, and the other on the front door where I will be waiting, but watch out for possible guards.  If there are guards I will try and lead them away from you so between the four of us we can overpower them.  I don’t suppose that you have a silencer for your gun, do you, Raji?”
  “As luck will have it, I do.” Raji replied grinning.
  “Great.  Then please get it attached and don’t be afraid to use it.  But I would prefer you tried to disable them, not kill them … I don’t think that they are of sound mind at the moment.  And I would much prefer the witches inside the house do not hear any strange noises that might bring them outside.”
  “I will do my best.”  Raji promised.
  “Good.  It is imperative that we can regain entry to the hallway and the mirrors as fast as humanly possible.  In the meantime, Martin and Mary, once you think you are on or near the road, and out of immediate sight, turn off the lights, cut the engine and park off the road the best that you can … and then walk back to wait with Raji making as little noise as you can in case there are guards at the front entrance to the house.  We don’t want to bring attention to ourselves too early.  As soon as you meet up with Raji, and the witches have all entered the house, come down to the house, and wait for my signal from the front door.  I will need all the help that I can get by that stage.
  But before you go, and this is as equally important.  When you come back into the house you are going to come, very quietly, straight along the hallway and wait in front of one of the mirrors without talking, or bringing attention to the fact that we are there.  I want you all to pick one out now so you will know which one to go to when we come back.  We will not have time for arguments or decision making when we come back.  So, Mary, would you choose first, please and remain in front of it while Raji and Martin make their choice.”

********

  The small group walked over to the hallway, agreed on their choices and while they were there Joseph continued explaining the plan.

********

“When we arrive back at in the hallway we won’t know how much time we will have to wait.  It could be seconds, it could be minutes, but it certainly won’t be a long wait.  But you must be ready and are waiting for my next signal as soon as you arrive at your mirror.  While you are waiting familiarise your hands with the grip of the mirror you are standing in front of.  Make sure you have both of your hands on the one mirror, and not accidentally holding one handle on two different mirrors.  Our lives may be at risk if we lose time untangling ourselves when I give the signal for us to move.
  Now the last instruction bar one.  At the moment the glass on your mirror is facing the wall.  Mary, I want you to hand me your mirror, please.

********

Mary did what was asked of her, surprised at how light it was considering its size, and was further surprised when Joseph unexpectedly withdrew a rock around the size of his open palm and smashed it with reasonable force leaving the entire mirror shattered, but completely intact.  Joseph handed the mirror back to a very confused Mary before requesting and even more confused Martin and Raji to individually pass him the remaining four mirrors to which he carried out the same action before handing them back.

  “It was easier my doing them for you than showing you, and expecting a one hundred percent duplication of my actions.  We only had one chance; there was no room for error.”  Joseph advised them in a quiet, non-patronising, tone,  “They have been specially manufactured and should work as effectively as we need them to.  As soon as I deem it to be the appropriate time, I will tell you to turn.  When you hear this instruction you will twist the mirror round so the glass is facing you … and I will then lead you all out into the main room where you will have less than a second to get into a semi-circle.  I will call out ‘semi-circle … now’.  Raji, you will be a pace to the right of me and you will take one more step forward to where I will be, and Mary will be one step to the left and forward of Martin.  Once we are in this position we are a breath away from battle.  The first instruction I will call out some time after we formed the semi circle will be ‘mirror’s forward’ and that is when you will swing your mirror around so the shattered glass is facing forward, but keep yourself hidden behind the frame.  You are never to allow yourself be exposed until I tell you different, so you will have to listen for, and follow, any instructions I suddenly call out without allowing your mirrors to do anything but point at our target … which will be Rangor.  Curious as you may be, do not expose yourself for a peek … it could very well be the last thing that you ever do.”
  Just remember.  Do not let the reflective side face the fire before I tell you too, and don’t expose yourself to the fire.  Any questions?”
  “I was wondering why they had handles.” Martin remarked.
  “So was I, but why can’t they face the fire?  Mary asked .
  “They will create a reflection far too early.  We will be seen before we can act.”
   “Oh.”  There was something about Joseph’s answer that didn’t settle too well with Martin, but he said nothing.
  “Joseph!  There are only four of us.  Why were there six mirrors including the one that you smashed?”  Raji noted in a rather childish sulky tone.
  “Spare.” Joseph smiled.
  “You told me that there was only one each.  Why couldn’t I have smashed it then?   It would have given us enough glass to completely fill the plates.”
  “I didn’t want you cutting your fingers off.  Now I want you to … wait … listen!  The chanting has stopped.  You must go now.”
  “Joseph, are you sure that you will be safe?” Mary asked, her genuine concern clearly reflecting across her face
  “Could you please go before it is too late?”
  Mary ran over to him and kissed him on the lips.  As she pulled away, she whispered. “Be careful, my love.”  Then she ran over to join the others as they quickly made their way out of the house and into the car.

********

The witches watched silently from behind the tree as the visitors exited the farmhouse with Martin complaining loudly that it been the waste of a trip and they were going back to the hotel for some drinks.  The witches remained where they were as the Wolseley made its way up the drive, over the rise and towards the road that led to Trenthamville, then they made their way to the front door of the farmhouse and entered the building.  And as they entered the room the dancing fire on the floor increased threefold in size as the power inside the farmhouse grew stronger.  And hiding behind two of the mirrors in the hallway Joseph could sense the events of the night were about to begin in deadly earnest – Rangor was about to arrive … already the smell of death was in the air.

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Episode 67 

Finally the wheels of the classic Wolseley ground to a halt outside the farmhouse front door.  And as the foursome extracted their bodies out of the car their eyes were automatically drawn towards the huge barn doors, noticing for the first time the moon as it began to slowly ascend behind the ever-darkening building.  While behind them, directly across the driveway, the last rays of the setting sun were locked behind the farmhouse.  The unusual, uneven, light that came with the oncoming evening set the mood for what was to come later that night.  An all absorbing darkness began to cocoon the tree lined area that ran at the edge of the farm; cocoon: as in a sheath for a spider’s prey.  Beyond the barn everything seemed to disappear into the nothingness of darkness with the single exception of the rims and edges of the building as the limited light from the sky and the moon turned the huge building into a silhouette that reeked of evil.  Then to add to the way the farm was influencing their collective minds, a large, low flying, owl obtrusively flew too close to their unprotected bodies. Its sudden outpouring of a screeching warning to those below its line of flight caused both Martin and Joseph to impulsively drop to their knees and cover their heads with their hands.
  And, as they began to get back up on their feet, they noticed a swirl of white running into the woods.  The strange apparition had disappeared as fast as it had arrived, but its movements were not fast enough to escape the eyes of the two men.
  “Did you see that, Martin?  Joseph asked.
  “I did.”  Raji piped in with a smile on his face,” but what was it?”
“Damn witches, I bet you.”  Martin replied, screwing his nose up as he spoke, “It would appear that Vittorio was right on that point.  Even with half of them dead they come back for more.  Stupid people!  I just hope that they keep out of our way tonight.
“Raji, do you have a gun on you?” Joseph enquired.
“Like my pretty face, I never leave home without it.”  Raji replied with a laugh.
“I doubt very much that these are the people that killed your friends, and I don’t suggest for a moment that you kill them; in fact I recommend just the opposite.  I don’t know how many there are in the woods over there, and I don’t want you to catch up with them.  But could you please pretend that you think that they did kill your friends – and that you are just a lousy shot as you shoot the fear of God into them?  Just keep them occupied for a couple of minutes, then come back and give us a hand to take the mirrors inside.”
“It would be my pleasure,” Raji replied as he pulled out a gun and ran towards the woods.
“Damn lousy witches.” He screamed at the top of his voice, “I will kill you all.” Then he opened fire, the bullets missing the potential targets, but hitting the ground and trees around them with but millimetres to spare.
White, silhouetted, blurs could just be seen flitting between the barely identifiable trees that frequented the woods.  Running in all directions as they tried to escape the hail of bullets that reigned down upon them, they completely disappeared out of sight by the time that a sweating and puffing Raji simultaneously reached the edge of the woods, and ran out of bullets.  Openly, purposefully, in order to take advantage of the limited light available and have his actions witnessed by those in hiding, Ravi pulled out another clip from his coat pocket and inserted it into the gun and fired two more shots into the darkened woods.  Then, attacking his intended victims with a final barrage of threats and insults Raji finally gave up the chase and made his way back to a grinning Joseph who, sensing Raji’s actions had been carried out satisfactorily according to their needs, turned and entered the house.
“Let’s hope that the power is still on,” Joseph remarked as he used his torch to locate the switch.  Finding it, he flicked it on but nothing happened.  “Hmm, we don’t seem to have any power.
“Let me check something,” Martin suggested.
Joseph stepped back and Martin shone his torch at the bulb then followed the path of the wiring till he found what he was searching for.  
“It might still be alright.  I think that the problem may be isolated to this light,  I vaguely remembered seeing some damage to the wiring the first time that we were here, and by the looks of it, it has only gotten worse.  There’s a burn patch on the wall I don’t remember seeing last time.  Perhaps it has shorted itself.  Well, there is nothing we can do to repair it at the moment.  Let’s try another switch.”  
The small crew edged their way through the narrow hallway, Mary hanging on tightly to the back of Joseph’s belt, until they reached the entrance to the combined dining/lounge room where the embers of the fire still glowed softly within the circle.
“God, this place gives me the creeps.”  Mary complained.  “The sooner we are out of here the better.”
“I thought that you were going to buy it?”  Joseph chuckled.
“That thought seems a long time ago.”  Mary replied with a shudder ringing through her voice, “A long, strange, time ago.”
“Let’s see how we go with this one.” Martin called out, as he located another switch.
Immediately the room was bathed in brilliant light.  The room had not changed much since the last time that they were there, save for the addition of what they now presumed to be Harranji’s remains several yards outside the circle.  The four of them looked momentarily at where his ashes lay.  A small tear appeared in the corner of Raji’s eye then disappeared just as quickly as it had come.
“Whew!  Thank goodness for the light.” Mary smiled, wanting to take her mind away from the morbid thoughts that were forming. “I felt that I was going to scream if we had had to stay here in darkness much longer.”
“What do we do now?”  Martin asked.
“Raji, could you please give Martin a hand bringing in the mirrors from the car boot?  Martin, would you mind?  I will show you what to do with them when you return.”
Martin nodded his head in agreement and Raji followed him out, and as they did so, Joseph turned to face Mary.  “Right, Mary.  We have a job to do while the boys are getting the mirrors.”

********

By the time Martin and Raji had returned with the first of the mirrors, Mary and Joseph had just finished laying a series of paper plates in an uneven pattern around the edge of the walls.“God these things are deceptively light.”  Martin admitted in a surprised voice, “They are incredibly easy to move indoors.  What are they, about five feet long and about two feet wide?   They feel light as a feather; so easy to move.  Not what I had expected to find in the boot.  Show me where you want them, and then we will go back and get the rest.
“Place them against the wall in the hallway with the mirror facing the wall so that they are not easily noticed by an casual passer-by, but close enough to the light in this room for us to locate them later and easily pick them up.”
“Oh, by the way what are these handles for?”  Martin asked as he had a closer look at the strange handles that were set into the rear of the mirror on both sides.  “I have never seen handles on mirrors before.  What are they for?”
“They are used to get a maneuverable grip on them which will allow you to walk forwards or backwards with them and move them to face whichever way you choose.”
“Oh.”  Martin felt a bit deflated with the answer; it had been nowhere as exotic as he had hoped for, “What are we supposed to do with them?”
“I will explain shortly.  But they really need to be brought in as soon as possible.  Time is running out for us very quickly.”
“Alright, we are going. Don’t get yourself in a huff.”  Martin went to place the mirror where Joseph had instructed when he noticed what Joseph and Mary had been doing with the plates for the first time.  “Hello!  Are we going to have a jolly little party or something?” he joked.  “Is anybody that I know coming?”
“I believe that you would be aware of our guest,” Joseph responded, “but I don’t think that he will be too happy when he arrives.  Now would you please go and get the other mirrors.  Oh, and when you bring back the mirror with no handle, could you please bring it here to the middle of the room.”
“No problem, Old boy … your wish shall be my command.”  Martin came to attention as he spoke, gave Joseph a sharp salute, then turning on his heels marched out of the room with a befuddled Raji following quickly behind him.

********

As Martin departed, Mary could control her curiosity no more.  She had bitten her tongue when Joseph asked her to help lay out the paper plates hoping that he would tell her why they were doing this seemingly ridiculous task when they were finished, but now, with the mirrors suddenly coming into the equation, she was bursting at the seams to know what he was up to. 
“What is going on, Joseph?”  Mary asked as calmly as she could.  “Why are we laying out paper plates all over the room and collecting mirrors in the hallway?”
“Good housekeeping, Mary.” Joseph replied in a soft voice as he then placed his fingers to his lips.
Mary sighed and slowly shook her head.  She so hated secrets.  But before she could linger on her frustration Martin and RaJi staggered into the room carrying more mirrors, only this time they had stacked several mirrors on top of each other and were sharing the load between them.
“Could use a hand for a second,” Martin requested, his breathing slightly heavy, “Seemed easier at the time to stack them all and make one trip … however hadn’t taken in the problem with unloading.   And please hurry, they are getting rather heavy.”
Joseph shook his head and rolled his eyes in amusement as he quickly moved over to the two men and began to remove the mirrors from their straining arms and gently placing them standing upright on the floor and getting Mary to hold them to stop them toppling.  As he removed the third mirror, Martin began to pull the last one into his chest as he advised Raji to let go of his end, then once he had established a firm grip on it he slowly moved it down towards the floor and took a deep breath before taking it to the wall.
Joseph passed the one he was still holding to Raji to also place against the wall and then took one from the three that Mary was still restraining and did the same with it.
By the time that Joseph had placed the one he was carrying in position, Martin and Ravi had the last two mirrors and were in the process of completing the mission, when Joseph stopped them both and examined the two mirrors.  Then to everybody’s surprise he took Martin’s mirror, lifted it high in the air … and threw it to the ground so hard that the glass shattered into a thousand pieces.
Ravi’s eyes lit up at Joseph’s actions and elatedly raised the one in his hands.  “I can do that!”  He cried out in an excited voice as he prepared to emulate Joseph.
The coldness in Joseph’s tone caused Raji to freeze on the spot.  “This is not a game, Raji.  Put it down gently.  Those mirrors are there to protect our lives.  There is only one mirror each.  If you break one – then that one is yours, and may God help you without it – because none of us will be able to.”
An unexplained fear reflected in Raji’s eyes, and he could feel a tremor running through his hands and arms as he did what he was told.  Suddenly the red hot adrenaline that had been flowing freely through his veins since he had run through the woods, guns blazing, shooting wildly to create fear and uncertainty, began to slow down; parts of his mind and body began to freeze.  And like Joseph and Mary before him … he began to wonder just what it was that he had gotten himself into.
“What is wrong, Joseph,” Mary asked, “Why did you break that mirror?”
“Yes … why?”   Martin interjected, “You’ll have seven years bad luck for that … and probably a bill from William.
“We’ll have a lot more than that to worry about if our friend comes before we are ready.”
“Our ‘friend’ sounds rather ominous, Joseph.” Mary asked in a soft, subdued voice.  “Who is our ‘friend’, Joseph?  And why is he coming.’  
Joseph stopped what he had been doing and looked deep into the eyes of his three associates.  “He is coming to kill us,”
“Who is?”  Mary asked in far more subdued, fear fuelled tone, Who is coming?”
Joseph paused for a further moment before answering, and when he did finally answer … his voice was soft and dry, and his reply sent a chill so cold across their hearts it threatened their lives in so many ways.